Steven Universe: Crystal Galaxy
by Meadhands
Summary: When a gem ship crash lands on planet Earth, Steven and the Crystal Gems find themselves dragged into an interstellar manhunt. Will the Earth have the strength to survive unpredictable rebels, powerful gem overlords, and a small-scale galactic war? (This story begins after S03E06: Steven Floats.)
1. The Ship

Dawn came quickly to Beach City.

The sun rolled its way over the ocean and was soon burning bright in the clear blue sky. It fell on the usual things one expects in a beachside town: small seaside fast food joints, streets just coming to life with early morning workers making their way to their jobs, shards of pulverized green metal from the recently exploded space-hand-ship, and the hundred-foot-tall statue of the planet's alien protector.

If anyone in town thought that some or all of these things were strange, they had largely gotten over them. Their neighbors on the beach, living in the house in the statue, were sometimes frightening, often distant, but always ready to help when things in the town got too weird.

The sun peeked its way through that little house's windows, revealing a room that was simple but made with astonishing care and precision. The floor was wood, but each plank lay together in a watertight weave. The staircase, bed frame, cabinets, and doors were all crafted with a level of detail that even the most gifted human carpenter would admire. Even the young boy in the bed had been created with love; his face was open and earnest, his body was fat, but it hid a surprising strength below, built from excessive energy and activity, and his curly black hair was ruffled from rolling about in his sleep.

The boy, Steven, snored softly, the first rays of light through the windows only just causing him to stir. He would toss and turn for another half hour trying to regain sleep, but in the end, as with every morning, he would sit upright, stretch his arms and back, give a mighty yawn, and get up for the day.

Steven rolled out of bed, a tangle of sheets and clumsy limbs. He fought his way free of the blanket and straightened his pajamas while peering over the edge of his loft for some sign of the gems. The house was quiet, but that didn't necessarily mean no one was home. The temple door was firmly shut and anything could be going on behind it. He could go see if the others were in their rooms, but Pearl always got mad when he intruded. He decided it would be better to avoid trouble and make himself some breakfast. He was hungry anyway.

He launched himself onto the couch below, bouncing to his feet with a laugh, and made for the kitchen. While they had plenty to eat, he didn't feel like spending a lot of time on breakfast and grabbed some frozen waffles. Toasted and buttered, he brought his plate back up to his loft and plunked down in front of the television. He powered it on and, to his annoyance, found it tuned to a news channel.

"Ugh, Amethyst," he groaned. She knew how much it annoyed him having to flip through the channels using the buttons below the screen. The numbers didn't show up right ever since Peridot got her hands on it (she had broken the controller on the same occasion) so if commercials were showing, he couldn't figure out what channel he was watching. "It's gonna take me ten whole minutes to find my favorite channel!"

He sighed, sat back, and shoveled some waffles into his mouth. Garnet _was_ always telling him that he should try watching something useful on the television every once in a while and she always had his best interests in mind. He supposed he could give it a few minutes before looking for something more interesting, even if she wasn't there to insist upon it.

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but he already felt himself dozing off when he heard the temple door open. He sat up sharply, toppling the plate of waffles off his stomach. "My breakfast!" he cried.

"Steven?" came Pearl's voice from below. "Are you alright up there?"

"Yes, Pearl. I just knocked over my waffles."

"Well, make sure to clean it up. That syrup stuff is hard to clean once it dries." He leapt back down to grab a towel, running past Pearl as she stood there watching, a hand on her hip and a slight smile on her lips. As he passed her again with towel in hand he paused, turned back towards her, and hugged her around the middle. "Morning, Pearl!" he said.

"Oh!" she cried in surprise. "Well, good morning to you too, Steven," she said, tousling his curly black hair. In a flash, he was back off, scampering up to the loft and attacking the spilled syrup with the wet cloth. He was humming a nameless tune, staring absently at the television as he worked, and it took him a minute to realize what he was seeing on the screen. He paused his scrubbing and stood up.

"Uh, Pearl?" he called nervously.

"What is it, Steven?" she said from the couch below. He peered over the edge and saw her resting there.

"We're not expecting any gem ships coming to Earth, are we?"

"No," she said slowly. "Why?"

"Because," he said, pointing to the television, "I think that's what that thing is."

"What thing?"

"Hold on." He disappeared back over the edge and turned up the volume on the television, loud enough that it could be heard clear from the kitchen.

"…like a spacecraft of some sort. It came crashing down just after midnight, landing here in the forest at speeds estimated to be above mach 2, and yet, as you can see behind me, none of the trees show any signs of damage."

"But aren't you standing in a crater?" the newscaster's voice asked.

"Yes, I am. Get the shot," he told the cameraman, and the view shifted to show the lip of a crafter half as tall as the reporter. "It's almost like the trees sank with the ground. I'm afraid we haven't been able to make any sense of this yet. We've spoken to several locals that were woken up by the blast—"

Pearl nudged in beside Steven and watched the report with some interest. "It's a very small craft," she observed. "It probably couldn't hold more than a dozen gems, though I suppose there could be more if they weren't projecting their physical forms." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "There is something strangely familiar about that ship."

"Like you've seen it before?" said Steven.

"Yes, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Really? It's not like you to forget things, Pearl."

Pearl nodded. "We've been on this planet for a long time, Steven. The last time I would have seen a ship like that would have been over five thousand years ago, before the rebellion. That also means that ship is fairly old."

Steven hummed appreciatively and turned back to the screen to study the ship. It was spherical, somewhat like the one the Rubies had arrived in some weeks back when they were looking for Jasper, though it wasn't nearly as scary. It seemed silly to say about two similar metal spheres, but this one seemed softer somehow, and much less menacing. It seemed almost graceful. Maybe it was because the ship was pink.

"Do you think it's dangerous?"

"I don't know, but we had better check to make sure. We'll go once Garnet and Amethyst return."

"Alright, a mission!" shouted Steven, jumping to his feet. "Wait… where are Garnet and Amethyst anyway?"

"Garnet has been trying to find Jasper since we lost track of her, so she is out searching for some clue as to where she escaped to. As for Amethyst, she went into town to do who-knows-what who-knows-where."

"Aw," said Steven. "They could be all day! Or even days! The ship could be gone by then!"

"Oh, Steven, if the ship has crash landed and not taken off again, chances are it can't fly anymore. I doubt it's going anywhere."

"Still, though," Steven said, slumping against his bed and resting his head in his hands. "The two of us could investigate it ourselves."

"And what if it _is_ something dangerous and I can't protect you alone?"

" _I'm_ supposed to protect _you guys,_ remember?" He raised his arms and enveloped himself in his pink bubble shield. "See?" He laughed as he rolled his bubble around Pearl, off the edge of the loft, bouncing off of the couch and crashing into the coffee table below. Pearl looked over the edge at him. "I'm okay!"

"We're waiting for Garnet and Amethyst," Pearl said with a note of finality.

"Okay," said Steven glumly. He rolled himself slowly around the table and towards the bathroom to brush his teeth. He squeezed his bubble through the door. He looked at himself in the mirror and a thought occurred to him. He rolled back out as Pearl descended the stairs from the loft. "Hey look," he said, letting himself roll around, "I'm the spaceship from the TV! Coming in for a landing!" He careened towards Pearl, expecting her to move out of the way. Instead, she stood there in surprise as he slammed into her, sending her tumbling backwards into the stairs.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, Pearl!" he exclaimed, letting his bubble shield dissipate. "I thought you were gonna dodge."

She sat up and stared at him a moment, then turned and clambered up the stairs. "Pearl?" he called after her. He walked up to the loft after her, finding her staring at the screen. "Pearl? What's wrong?"

She turned toward him, her mouth agape. "Of course! How could I forget? Steven, the ship! It's a Rose Quartz ship!"

"What?!" he gasped. He threw himself down next to her to look at it. "Mom flew a ship like that?"

" _Exactly_ like that."

"Could it actually be Mom's ship?"

Pearl looked excited at the idea for a brief moment, but it faded quickly. "No," she said quietly. "Her ship was destroyed during the rebellion. I saw it happen."

"But it looks just like it! Who's flying around a five thousand-year-old ship?"

Pearl looked back at the television. "That is a very good question."

"Come on, Pearl! Let's go check it out."

"Oh, we really should wait for the others." Steven could see her indecision. He knew he only needed to find the right way to prod her.

"What if there is a Rose Quartz on that ship?" he asked excitedly. "Are we just going to let her wander off? We've got to find her. If she's anything like mom, she's going to be an ally, right? Better us finding her now before Jasper forces her into a fusion or something."

His last statement seemed to hit a nerve. Pearl stood up sharply. "My goodness, of course we wouldn't want that." She seemed bordering on angry. "Jasper is after us, however," she reasoned more calmly. "I see no reason why she would go after an unrelated gem."

"But a Rose Quartz," Steven helpfully reminded her. "Jasper seemed to have a thing about mom, so who knows what she'd do if she saw another Rose Quartz."

"She _was_ pretty zealous."

"It's settled, then! Let's go find that Rose Quartz!"

"Oh, alright," Pearl said, exasperated. "But we're stopping to pick up Peridot."

"Alright! Peridot's first mission!" He paused. "Unless the cluster thing counts as a mission. In which case: alright! Peridot's second mission! She'll be a full-fledged Crystal Gem in no time! She'll be so happy!"

Peridot looked up from a clipboard slathered in drawings and equations. "No, _you guys_ said I was a Crystal Gem. I—" she struck her chest with the clipboard for emphasis "—am stuck here because you clods made me care about this dumb planet and it's dumb inhabitants. Now that we've rendered the cluster dormant, I have no interest in following you around on any of your adventures." She looked back down at her clipboard. "I hope this doesn't impact our relationship."

"Come on, Peridot! I thought we were friends!"

"We are, Steven. That is why, as my friend, you should respect that I have said no."

Steven ruffled Peridot's hair playfully. "Wow, good job turning that one against me, buddy."

Peridot blushed and swatted his hand away. "Please don't mess up my hair. It does not retain its diamond shape easily."

"Peridot, please," said Pearl. "We don't know anything of what has happened outside of Earth for fifty-five centuries. If we have any hope of effective communication, we will require your help."

"Bring her here, then. I'm not going anywhere. Lazuli and I are perfectly happy here. Isn't that right, Lazuli?" She looked over to see Lazuli's half of the barn empty. "Right. I forgot she went out."

"How are things with Lapis?" Steven asked. Peridot visibly winced. "That bad, huh?"

"There have been marked improvements, but progress has been slow, far short of my estimations." She crossed her arms. "Maybe I'm not as likeable as I thought."

"She'll come around," said Steven. "Maybe if you did selfless things like helping us out, it would impress her and make her like you."

"Nice try, Steven Quartz. That trick might work on a Pearl, but I think you'll find I desire peace and safety more than your approval."

"But what if—"

Peridot held up a hand. "That wasn't an invitation to try harder. If you want my help, bring the gem here. That's the only way you're getting my help."

"Well, thanks anyway," said Steven.

"Yes," said Pearl coldly. "Thanks for all your help."

"Well, I took care of the cluster, so…" Peridot shrugged and shooed them out the door, closing it behind them.

"Ungrateful little…" Pearl mumbled. "We'll have to take care of this ourselves. Just be careful, Steven. You know a lot of what Rose Quartzes are capable of, but there is also a lot you don't know yet. They can be extremely dangerous."

"Will she be able to break my shield?"

Pearl considered. "I'm not sure. I'd never seen Rose fight another Rose Quartz. Maybe they can." She suddenly looked very worried. "Maybe we shouldn't be—"

The barn door opened again and Peridot poked her head out. "I'm sorry, did I hear you say the gem you're looking for is a Rose Quartz?"

"Yes, it is," Pearl said sharply. "What does it matter to you?"

"And you're going with just the two of you?" She looked back and forth between them. "Without the fu—um, without Garnet?"

"Yeah," said Steven. "Why?"

"A piece of friendly advice: I wouldn't risk it."

"There is a lot you wouldn't risk," said Pearl.

Peridot gritted her teeth. "I'm trying to help. Look, if a Rose Quartz is here, that means it's a renegade, probably running from the local security wing. Do yourself a favor and avoid contact at all costs."

"Not all Rose Quartz are renegades," said Pearl.

"Uh… yyyyyeeeah they are? Or they are now, anyway, ever since your little rebellion succeeded."

"What?"

"Yeah. Rose Quartzes were deemed too dangerous to continue to exist. Red Diamond herself even gave the command to hunt them down and shatter them. It's probably why a warrior like Jasper was so eager to find your Rose Quartz."

Pearl put a hand over her mouth. "That's terrible."'

"Tell me about it," said Peridot. "The galaxy's premier gem for fixing other gems and they decide to just break them all. It's such a senseless waste."

"They're _killing_ them!" shouted Pearl.

"Please, Pearl, do you really think this is the first time? Or that it's going to be the last? Rose Quartzes care too much about organic life—it kind of goes with the territory of being made for preservation. The Diamonds decided they were all too likely to choose said organic life over their gem brethren. Your Rose Quartz's rebellion was proof enough."

"So if Jasper finds this Rose Quartz, she's just going to shatter her?"

"In all likelihood, yes."

Pearl spun in place and began running towards the warp pad. "Come on, Steven, we have to find her before Jasper does!"

"Coming!" Steven shouted after her. He turned to Peridot. "Thanks for all your help, Peridot."

"Pearl said that too. How come I actually believe you when you say it?"

"Because I mean it?"

"Fair enough." Peridot disappeared into the barn and closed the door.


	2. The Crater

The forest was thicker than Steven thought it would be.

Pearl had brought them to the closest warp pad, but 'close' was clearly a relative term. They had been picking their way through the close-knit trees and underbrush for what must have been six hours, but Steven wasn't able to check the time; playing games on his phone had killed the battery. He silently chastised himself for his short attention span, but it wasn't worth beating himself up over.

A few things had occurred to Steven on their trek:

Firstly, he was positive that if there was a warp pad on the far side of the forest, they wouldn't have to go through so many trees. If the reporters were able to get there easily, it was probably right on the edge. The more he sweat, the more he wished they had teleported to that side.

Second, he knew he was slowing Pearl down. She was trying to set a brisk pace and here he was getting tripped up every other step. She clearly wanted to be moving faster and was more eager than Steven to reach the ship as soon as possible, but she was also incredibly patient with him and his clumsiness.

Third… man, Pearl looked so cool! She was so tall and fast and graceful, hardly ever looking at her feet yet knowing exactly how and where to move them to keep from getting snagged on all the shrubs and roots. She stood erect with her spear in hand, deftly hacking through the tall grass and low hanging branches with sure and powerful hands. When she needed a moment to determine which direction they needed to head, she would plant the base of the spear on the ground and stare off into the distance, pale blue eyes squinting in thought, her back straight, posture immaculate. After a moment, she would turn her head, her prominent nose seeming to point the way, then resolutely march in that direction. Steven wished he could be as confident and cool as she was.

"It shouldn't be too much further," she said, for which Steven was grateful. He didn't want to ask, but he desperately wanted to know. "We should be there before the sun goes down. Hopefully you're not too tired for the trip back."

"Before the sun goes down?" said Steven. "But I feel like I just woke up."

"We're pretty far east of home. I'd say seven or eight hours ahead. Chances are good we can make it home for dinner. If everything goes alright." Again she looked worried. She threw a glance Steven's way, and Steven put on the most serious face he could muster to show he was taking all of this very seriously. She didn't seem completely convinced, but she also didn't say anything else as they continued through the forest.

Pearl held a hand out to stop Steven and pointed with her foot. "The crater," she said. Ahead the ground sloped suddenly downward. Just as the reporter had said, the trees all seemed to be living happily in the new pit, not caring about the explosion that created the crater under them. Pearl placed her hand on one of the trees. "Gem magic. Obviously." She looked down at the roots and traced them with her fingers. "It seems like they were protected from the crash, then replanted." She smiled broadly to herself. "That is just _so_ something Rose would have done. Come on, let's find that ship."

"Wow," said Steven. "You brought us right to the crater without a map or anything. That's amazing!"

"Oh, well, it's hardly a big deal," Pearl said with false modesty, her cheeks coloring slightly.

They didn't have much farther to go. While deep, the crater was not very wide. They had to pass only a handful of trees before they could see the resting place of the pink spherical craft. The reporter and his crew were gone, leaving behind only a candy bar wrapper and a handful of cigarette butts. A deer sniffed at these, looking up cautiously when Steven and Pearl entered the clearing around the craft.

"Stay close, Steven," said Pearl, bringing her spear to the ready and approaching warily. She swept the crater with her eyes, seeking signs of ambush, but saw none. Once she was beside the craft, she reached out and caressed the side. "If I remember correctly…" she mumbled to herself, and suddenly there was a loud click and a scraping of metal on metal. A door appeared in the side of the ship and unceremoniously fell open, nearly hitting Pearl as it swung down.

The gem on Pearl's forehead glowed, emitting a beam of light. Using it, she searched the inside of the ship from the doorway. She waved Steven over and they entered together, Pearl a half-step ahead of him with her spear ready to strike. The ship was dark, lit only by the light from Pearl's gem and the sunlight streaming through the door. The door closed behind them, startling Steven, but Pearl didn't react. Steven figured it was supposed to do that.

"It looks empty," Steven opined after a minute of exploring the small craft.

Pearl nodded. "There aren't any places to hide, and there is only this room and the cockpit." She put the butt of the spear on the floor of this ship with a sharp _thunk_. "Maybe I should check the travel logs."

In the cockpit, Pearl rubbed her fingers on several panels, producing no noticeable results. She sighed. "It doesn't look like there is any power. The ship is probably out of commission from the impact. Of course, if Peridot had come, we might be able to get this thing up and running again." She turned and scanned the cockpit, looking disappointed. "Whoever was in this ship has already left."

"Aw man," said Steven. "What if there was no one to begin with? Do these things have autopilot?"

"Yes, but judging by the trees outside, there was definitely at least one gem here, and evidence suggests a Rose Quartz. But she or they could be anywhere by now." She struck the ground with her spear in aggravation. "We'll look around for a little bit, but I'm not getting my hopes up. There's a whole planet to hide on." She started walking towards the exit hatch.

"We'll find her eventually," said Steven. "Garnet is great at finding gems, so it's only a matter of time, right?"

"Right," said Pearl, pushing open the door. "We'll make it a top priority."

As the door fell open, a large hand reached through and grabbed Pearl by the back of the neck. With a sudden jerk, it was pulling Pearl onto the point of an outstretched sword. Pearl barely had time to draw breath when she found she had a blade sticking through her stomach and out of her back. Her spear tumbled to the ground and exploded into mist.

"Pearl!" Steven cried, his hands going to his mouth.

Her attacker shifted. Pearl gasped. "Steven," she said, "catch me!" She jerked her head backward and to the right, toward Steven, just as the blade cut upwards through her chest and neck. For a moment, she was split nearly in two from stomach to shoulder, then she burst into a cloud of white mist. Her gem soared through the air and Steven leapt to catch it, landing and rolling to his knees with Pearl clutched in his hands.

His head snapped towards the door as a large figure moved through the open portal and took position in front of it, barring his escape. She was a Rose Quartz, but Steven could only tell because he knew that was what they were looking for. She looked nothing like Steven's mother.

This Rose Quartz's hair was short, barely longer than Pearl's, dropping down in a pink bob cut. Her body was massive, covered in intimidating muscle. Instead of the pleasant dress Rose preferred, this gem wore shiny metal armor over leather, along with leather gloves and metal boots. If anything, she looked more like a Jasper playing at being a knight than a Rose Quartz. In her one hand she held the shield of the Rose Quartz. In the other was a sword. It was nothing like the beautifully appointed cutlass Rose wielded, but a dirty, plain gray thing. The sword could clearly do its job, however, and she leveled it at Steven, who clutched Pearl to his chest.

"Where is the other?" said the Rose Quartz. Her face was contorted into a threatening snarl, nothing like the angelic smile of Earth's Rose. Her eyes darted around the compartment, but were never away from Steven for more than a second. She didn't seem like the kind of gem that was ever caught unawares.

"The other what?" asked Steven, taking the opportunity to get back to his feet, the Rose Quartz watching his movements the entire time as if he might lunge at her at any moment.

"Don't play the fool. I sensed two gems entering my ship. You're holding the one, now where's the other?"

For a moment, Steven was at a loss. "Oh!" he said. "You mean me."

"No, I mean a gem. You are clearly not a gem."

"But I _am_ a gem." He reached for his shirt, but the movement caused the Rose Quartz to lunge forward, and before he could react, Steven had the point of her sword an inch away from his throat. "Whoa!"

"Don't even try reaching for your weapons. I'll kill you before you can draw them." She checked behind her, then snapped her eyes back in a fraction of a second.

"I-I'm not," said Steven, his hands frozen where they were when she lunged. "I'm just trying to show you something. It'll answer your question. Will you let me?"

"No funny business," she warned, but pulled back slightly.

Slowly, carefully, Steven reached down and pulled up his shirt, revealing the large pink gem where his belly button should be. "See? The other gem _is_ me. I'm not lying."

Her eyes went wide, but they quickly shifted from surprise to anger. "What are you doing with the gem of a Rose Quartz?"

"This isn't a Rose Quartz gem; this is my—"

She stepped forward and suddenly Steven was being lifted into the air by his shirt. She suspended him there with one hand while the other began scrabbling at the gem in his stomach. "Hey, that tickles!" he said. Then she dug her fingers in around the edges, gripping it and pulling hard. "Ow! Okay, that doesn't tickle anymore."

"Release the gem!"

"Get off of me!"

His protective bubble grew outward from his gem, pushing her away and thrusting her into the far wall of the ship. Steven didn't wait, but immediately bolted for the door. He doubted he could get away, but his chances were better outside than being trapped in the ship.

He was outside and running back towards where he and Pearl had come from, but he had taken barely a dozen steps when she passed him by and stood in front of him, blocking his path. In desperation, he attempted to bowl her over, but he struck her like he might strike a brick wall, succeeding only in bumping his head into the bubble shield and not much else.

She reached down, her massive arms encircling his bubble, and held it in place. He was pushing at the edges, trying to get it to roll, when she spoke.

"How are you doing this?" she demanded. "Are you an Overlord?"

"No, I'm a human." He gave up on trying to roll away. "And I'm a gem. I'm both. And this is _my_ gem because it's part of _my_ body, so I would appreciate you not trying to rip it out of me."

Her eyes searched him, trying to discern the truth. "What are you? Some sort of hybrid?"

"I guess? I don't really know. None of us do."

She slammed the side of his bubble with a massive fist. "Who did this? Who took that gem? Where did they get it?"

"I-I-It was given to me. Willingly. My mom was a Rose Quartz like you. She, um, gave up her body so I could have one."

The Rose Quartz considered this. "Is that possible?" She didn't find the idea absurd.

Steven shrugged. "Apparently."

An idea seemed to occur to her. She looked Steven in the eye. "Where am I? What planet is this?"

"Earth?" Steven answered, unsure what was coming next.

Her eyes lost focus. "I finally made it." She blinked, and then was staring at him. "And you say your gem came from a Rose Quartz? Willingly?" Steven nodded. "It wasn't THE Rose Quartz, was it? The leader of the rebellion of Earth?" He nodded again.

For a long moment she held the bubble, leaning on it as if she might collapse without it's support, then, with a mighty roar, she picked it up and flung it away from her, sending Steven tumbling end over end and crashing into a tree. "No!" she shouted. "It can't be. She's gone? We've been searching for Earth our whole lives to find her, and when we get here she's GONE?!"

Steven righted himself and rubbed his head. He was going to have some bruises when all this was over. Suddenly his bubble was being lifted and the Rose Quartz was pressing her face into the side inches from his own. "What of the others?" she said, a hint of desperation and maybe a bit of madness to her voice. "There were millions of rebels. Surely some of them still live? I must speak with them!"

"Millions?" said Steven. He looked down at Pearl in his hands, thinking of the mere four members of the rebellion that he knew and wondering what happened to the rest. A brief thought of the Cluster made him shiver. "Well, if you're looking for one, I'm holding her."

"What? That Pearl?" She blinked. "THE Pearl? Rose Quartz's infamous, ferocious Pearl? Why, she didn't even put up a fight!"

"We came here thinking you were going to be friendly! I mean, sure, Pearl was cautious, but she definitely didn't think you were going to attack her out of nowhere. The last gem we fought was kind of crazy, but even she talked to us before trying to kill us."

"You fought?" A light appeared in her eyes. "Then you're still fighting the gems? Where are my manners?" She put his bubble down. "The enemy of my enemy is friend." She beamed down at him. "Where are the others? After all this time, I have to meet someone, anyone, who I can call an ally."

"Hold on," said Steven, moving away from her. "You just attacked us. If Pearl didn't move her head at the last second, you could have shattered her. I'm not leading you to my friends until I understand what's going on."

Before the Rose Quartz could answer, Pearl's gem began to glow. It rose from his hand and floated between him and the Rose Quartz. A silvery-white outline formed in the air, a silhouette of light, taking the slender form of Pearl. Then it bloated on one side and solidified, and suddenly Pearl was there, but not the one Steven was familiar with.

"Get back, Thteven," she said, her puffy face and lips slurring her speech. Her arm, alternately bloated and wiry in places, reached up to her gem and pulled from it her spear, though the fingers didn't seem to work right because she immediately fumbled with it and had to use both hands to keep it from dropping.

"Are you okay, Pearl?" said Steven, moving to help her.

"Thtay back!" Pearl commanded, throwing out her good arm to warn him off. "I'm tho glad you're thafe, Thteven. I don't know what I'd do if I let thomething happen to you. Ath for you," she said, spinning her spear and pointing it towards the Rose Quartz, "you won't catch me by thurprithe thith time."

"Uh," said the Rose Quartz, staring at Pearl's deformed body. "I think you'd better give yourthelf—yourself—more recuperation time."

"Nonthenthe," said Pearl. "I don't have time to—" the spear slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground. "Hold on." Steven and the Rose Quartz watched uncomfortably as her crab-like hands fumbled at the spear's shaft trying to get a grip.

"Look, this was all a huge misunderstanding," said the Rose Quartz quickly. "I had no idea you were the rebels I was looking for. I'm putting my weapon away, see?" She made a show of sheathing her sword. "Besides, I don't think you can fight in that condition."

"I'll thow you," retorted Pearl, still struggling with the spear.

Steven threw an arm around Pearl's shoulder. "Pearl, you need to get yourself back together. I can handle things from here, okay?"

"But Thteven—"

"No buts," said Steven. "She doesn't want to fight anymore. See?" He gestured at the Rose Quartz, who tried to smile and not look intimidating. She failed. "Now go back to your gem and heal yourself properly or I'll poof you back there myself, okay?"

"Well, thereth no need for threatth, but are you thure?"

"Pothit—positive. She's a friend, like we thought. She's just more slice-y than we thought she'd be."

"Okay, good," said Pearl, and her body practically fell apart, "becauthe I couldn't hold thith thing together any longer." And with that, she poofed into dust and her gem fell to the dirt below."

Steven pocketed Pearl's gem. "Better start explaining things real quick, Quartz."

"Quartz?"

"Yeah. Rose Quartz is too long."

"But I'm not a Quartz. I'm a Rose Quartz. Calling me 'Rose' would make more sense since that's the part that differentiates me from other Quartzes."

"There's only one 'Rose' on this planet. It would be way too weird to call you Rose too, so it's either Quartz, or 'you.'"

"Your planet, your rules, I guess," she said. "But it's a long story so you better be ready."

"That's fine," said Steven, turning and gesturing vaguely to the west. "We have about six hours of walking ahead of us anyway, so you can tell the story on the way."

"Okay," she said. "How long is six hours?"

"About a quarter of a day."

"Okay? Well, how long is a day."

Steven stared blankly. "Twenty-four… hours?"

They stared at each other for a long while. "I'm just going to start the story," she said, and began walking west with Steven a step behind.


	3. Shattered Memories

Steven could barely watch where he was going.

After the initial excitement and fear of running into Rose Quartz had drained away, he found himself unable to stop looking at her. She was nothing like his mother, being even larger, clearly powerful at first glance, and always seeming on the verge of shouting. Her face had a sour look to it, like happiness was something she had become unfamiliar with. Walking through the forest with Steven, she kept a hand on her sword, and her eyes never stopped moving around.

"How much further?" she asked.

"Well, it's only been about one-tenth of one hour, so pretty much still six hours."

"Days are long here," she grumbled, and sank into silence.

"Sooooo," said Steven at length, "what brings you here? What's your story, Quartz?"

"Still not loving 'Quartz.'"

"Do you have another name you prefer?"

"My friends called me Ten."

"Oh. Okay. So, Ten, your story?"

"Right," she said, her eyes downcast. "My story. It's not a happy one, Steven."

"It can't be that bad. We have a friend named Lapis who was trapped in a mirror for thousands of years."

"Sounds nice," said Ten. Steven looked to see if she was joking. She wasn't smiling.

They walked in silence for a bit more. Ten seemed to be prepping herself, so Steven didn't push her any more. Finally, after nearly an hour without a word from either of them, Ten took a deep breath. "So it kind of begins with this rebellion."

"Mom's rebellion?"

"I don't know why you keep calling her your 'mom,' but so long as you still mean your Rose Quartz, then yeah, that one. It was a long time ago. I was only a few hundred years old then, working on a little planet called Ropoppan. It was lovely; thick, ashen atmosphere; temperatures in the low four hundred kelvin range; large, venomous inhabitants. It was practically paradise."

"Sounds nice," said Steven.

"It was. Well, all except for the sulfuric acid lakes. But that's beside the point. I was on Ropoppan cataloguing the local wildlife for Zircon…

* * *

Ten sped through a smoking field atop a volcanic beetle the size of a small spaceship. She whooped and hollered, clinging to its chitin carapace with one hand and pounding on its head with the other. The monstrous insect reared and screeched, trying to throw her, but she swung around its neck, pulled her arm back, and punched it straight into the monster's gaping mouth.

"Easy there, big boy," she laughed as it gagged and flailed, its tiny arms uselessly clawing at her shoulder. "I just need a little sample and then I'll let you go." She stretched her arm out and felt around inside its gut. Finding something promisingly hard among its squishy insides, she gripped and pulled. With a wail of pain from the beetle, her arm came loose and sent her tumbling on the ground with a small chunk of metal gripped tightly in her fist. The beetle screeched again and took off running in the other direction.

"Thank you!" she called after it, waving goodbye. She looked at the thing in her hand. "Gosh, what have you been eating?" She activated her communicator for sound only and called back to the research camp.

"Is that you, Rose Quartz?" came a voice at the other end. The thick atmosphere was causing a lot of static.

"Yeah, Zircon, it's me." She placed a finger in her ear to hear better. "I got a sample of the stomach contents from one of those huge beetles. Is there anything else you need me to get while I'm out here?"

"A million things," said Zircon, "but for the time being, come back to camp. It looks like there is an acid storm brewing and I don't want you out there when it hits."

"Sure thing. I'll be back shortly." She cut the feed on her communicator and pocketed the bit of metal. She didn't know what Zircon wanted with it, but it was above her privilege to know or ask questions. She was just a soldier. A smart soldier, granted, one with enough intelligence and tact to ensure her delicate research missions were carried out to Zircon's strict specifications, but a soldier nonetheless. Still, she couldn't stop herself from wondering what use the gems would have for such a deadly and dangerous planet.

The research camp was a series of small buildings shaped somewhat like pyramids with the top half cut off, tending to be wider than they were deep. They were arranged in a grid pattern with the central area cleared out for a corral. Several of the planet's other inhabitants were milling about inside, mostly docile and stupid creatures that occasionally shocked themselves against the laser fence.

"Let us out!" one of the creatures cried, standing inches from the fence and peering out at her.

She laughed. "You creatures are so adorable. I'll have to see if Zircon will let me take one of you back to Homeworld with me."

"Please, I have to get back to my children."

"Maybe later, little man. We need you for now."

He whimpered at her, but she walked past him and toward the main facility.

"Ah, good to see you in one piece," said Zircon as Ten passed through the main door. "It would be terribly inconvenient if I had send someone to pull your gem out of the belly of one of these horrid creatures."

"Aw, you mean one of those big softies? They're just playing around out there. Nothing to be scared of."

"For you, maybe," said Zircon. She held out her hand for the metal sample and Ten handed it over, then Ten turned back toward the main hall to wait for the storm the come and go so she could get back to work.

A few of the local critters had gotten inside the gem facility, enjoying the protection from the storms and larger predators, but they were less safe from Ten, who sprinted after and caught a pair of them, stroking them gently as they wiggled against her grip in attempted escape. She hummed and sang to comfort them, but they remained terrified. Normally she would spend days this way with no complaint, but she wasn't so lucky today.

As she tickled the little creatures with her large fingers, the large view screen activated in the main hall. Displayed prominently was a Pearl, one that Ten immediately recognized as Red Diamond's snotty little assistant. Sure, she wasn't as bad as Yellow Diamond's Pearl, but given enough time she rubbed one raw with her attitude.

"Attention all colonies. This is a message from Red Diamond."

This made Ten perk up, and much of the work stopped around the camp. To contact all colonies with a message would mean something very important was about to be announced. She lifted the creatures she held up so they could see the screen better. "I wonder what she has to say," she cooed at them.

"As many of you may be aware, we have been dealing with a rebellion on Crystal System Colony Planet Earth over the last several years. We are announcing that we have decided to abandon this colony rather than continuing to fight for control of it."

"That's hardly worth making a broadcast announcement," said Zircon, the door to her lab sliding closed behind her. She walked over and stood next to Ten, looking disapprovingly down at her as she played with the planet's vermin.

"You may also be aware," the Pearl continued, "about the self-proclaimed 'leader' of this rebellion, a Rose Quartz." A picture of the Rose Quartz appeared on the screen with her Cut and Facet listed below. "This Rose Quartz has made a mockery of everything that we stand for and strive for. She is a traitor to the Gempire."

"Ugh, dirty traitor," said Ten. "She gives gems like us a bad name."

Zircon nodded. "If she knew the value of good hard work, she would have never started all this rebellion nonsense. I blame her managers on Earth."

"Given these circumstances," said the Pearl, "the Diamonds have decided that this treachery rests not with a single Rose Quarts, but with all Rose Quartzes throughout the Gempire. My Diamond declares all Rose Quartzes traitor."

"What?!" said Ten. Two instincts fought inside her, the first to reflexively ball her hands into fists, and the second the put down the critters she was holding. The latter won, the creatures scurrying off as Ten stood and approached the monitor.

"By order of the Diamonds, with blessings from Red Diamond, for whom all Rose Quartzes are made, these traitors are to be immediately shattered."

The view on the monitor panned up, and there on the screen appeared the face of Red Diamond. "So say I, Red Diamond," she said.

Then the camera panned back down to the Pearl. "That is all," she said, and the message ended.

Ten was frozen where she stood. She couldn't believe what she had just heard! It was an outrage! She had done nothing wrong. It was all that _other_ Rose Quartz's doing, so why was she being punished for it?

She turned around defiantly, finding every gem in the hall was watching her. She became suddenly aware of how many of them there were. Her head was pounding with anger and fear.

A group of Rubies ran forward. "We'll take care of her!" they shouted, jumping into a pile. With a flash of light, their bodies melded together, and in their place stood a monstrously tall Ruby, easily towering over the naturally tall Rose Quartz. She shrunk back from the Ruby and instinctively started reaching for the gem on her stomach.

"Hold on!" shouted Zircon, holding up a hand. "Ruby, go back to your posts."

"What? B-but, Red Diamond—"

"I heard what she said, and now I'm telling you to forget it and go back to your post."

"You can't contradict Red Diamond," said Ruby angrily.

"Did she specifically say that you, Ruby, had to shatter every Rose Quartz?"

"What?" said Ruby. She looked dumbly down at Zircon, who waited impatiently for an answer. "Uh, no?"

"So you think you're so important that Red Diamond was talking directly to you?"

Ruby looked shaken. "No, no! Of course not!"

"Then know your place and get back to your posts."

Ruby looked uncertainly between Ten and Zircon. "Yes ma'am," Ruby said sullenly. She split apart into her individuals Rubies and they scurried from the hall.

One of the other scientists gems whispered to Zircon. "What are you doing? You heard Red Diamond. Blocking an order from a Diamond is not something you have the authority for."

"Oh, nonsense," she replied. "Shatter every Rose Quartz? To what end? How does that serve anything? The Diamonds are just throwing a fit and they'll get over it soon enough. If we shatter Rose Quartz, we'll regret it in three days when they rescind the order and we find that now we're short on field agents."

"Even if that's the case," said another gem, "we can't just disobey on a whim. That makes us no better than the rebels. And if word gets back to Homeworld—"

A general murmuring started among the scientist gems, but Zircon motioned for silence. "I don't intend to have Rose Quartz stay. On the contrary, I think she should go back to Homeworld."

"What?" said Ten. "But they'll shatter me on sight!"

"Don't worry. Once you're on Homeworld, you'll have the sanctuary of the Crystal Citadel. If I know you Rose Quartzes, and I like to think I do, a whole mess of you will be heading to Homeworld even as we speak. You are not a stupid cut. I'm sure one of you can convince Red Diamond that you deserve to continue existing and are no traitors."

"Because we're not!" Ten shouted.

Zircon made a calming gesture with his hands. "Of course you're not. Get back to your ship right away and make for Homeworld—If you go right now, you can avoid the acid storms. And once you have everything straightened out, hurry back here. We have a lot more work that needs to be done and I can't rely on some dimwitted Ruby to do it right."

* * *

"Hi, we haven't met, but I'm Rose Quartz."

The other Rose Quartz looked her up and down. "I've already heard that one," she said, then turned and disappeared into the gathering crowd of Rose Quartzes.

"Jeez," said the first Rose Quartz. "What shattered YOUR sense of humor?"

Ten came up from behind. "Do you really think this is the time for jokes?"

The Rose Quartz shrugged. "I don't see why not. If jokes were off-limits every time something terrible happened, I'd never get to tell any."

"I really hope you're exaggerating," said Ten.

"I'm Rose Quartz, by the way," she said brightly.

"Really?" said Ten. "You're pretty dedicated to that joke, aren't you?"

The throng of Rose Quartzes grew in size over the day. Before too long, there were hundreds of Rose Quartzes. By the next they were in the thousands. The most Ten had ever seen at once was two, so this was entirely new for her. A good chunk of them preferred the generic Rose Quartz look, being tall and muscular and long straight hair down their backs, like Ten herself, but there were hundreds of variations and some that had looks wholly unique to them. Some were curly-haired, some were bald, some were shorter, some fatter, one was even terribly skinny. But they were all Rose Quartzes. It was like a gathering of sisters that had never met before.

After a few days of gathering, the number of Rose Quartzes coming to Homeworld slowed to a trickle and the group was about as large as it was going to get. Murmurings spread throughout the crowd as they started looking for some sort of leader to do all the talking when they met with Red Diamond.

Ten had been talking with the joke-y Rose Quartz since they first met and found her to be likeable and charismatic. Ten nudged her. "You should volunteer to be our leader," she said.

"Me? Oh ho ho, that's funny. I thought this wasn't the time for jokes."

"I'm serious. I'm sure our Diamond will like you."

"Oh, stop," said Rose Quartz, blushing and waving away the comment. Suddenly, she found Ten's hands on her waist and she was being lifted above the crowd.

"She volunteers!" Ten called above the hubbub.

"Oh!" cried Rose Quartz as hands started passing her along the top of the crowd before finally depositing her at the front atop a small dais. She looked out over the crowd of gathered Rose Quartzes with surprise written on her face. She gave them a nervous smile and realized they were waiting for her to say something. "Uh, I see a lot of familiar faces out there." Many of the gathered Rose Quartzes laughed. She seemed bolstered by that. "I should introduce myself. I'm Rose Quartz." More laughs. Clearly, not everyone had heard that one before. "Let's all take good care of each other."

A few of the Quartzes in the front rows moved forward and they and the new leader began conversing. After a while, the leader stepped back up on the dais and motioned for silence. "It looks like it is time to go see our Diamond. If you'll all follow me, I know the way. Try to keep things orderly, okay?" She hopped down and began marching. Slowly, the huge blob that was the thousands of Rose Quartzes started moving towards the center of the Citadel.

Red Diamond's Pearl sighed. "I can't just let anyone in without an appointment." She narrowed her eyes. "Especially traitors."

"Don't use that word," said the leader angrily. "We're good and loyal gems. I know our Diamond is busy, but if she can find the time to see us, we would be very grateful. Please."

Red Pearl sighed again. "I'll see what she thinks about this. Wait in the audience hall." She indicated a door behind her and left without another word.

The crowd of Rose Quartzes pushed through the door into the huge audience chamber. There was a large throne at the end where Red Diamond would sit and room enough in the hall to easily fit a group ten times their size. While there was one door in the wall they had come through, the side and back walls had doors down the entire length of the hall, dozens and dozens of doors leading off somewhere deeper in the Citadel.

Ten sidled up to their leader. "I've never seen a room this big before. What do you think they need all this space for?"

The leader shrugged. "I guess lots of empty space is impressive. I know _I_ feel impressed."

Time passed with no sign of Red Diamond. The Rose Quartzes milled about and spoke in hushed conversations; something about the grand hall made it feel inappropriate to raise their voices too loud. Outside the doors, they would hear occasional voices and footsteps, but no one entered or knocked or showed any signs that they were aware the Rose Quartzes were still waiting within.

"This is boring," said Ten. What's taking our Diamond so long?"

"Be patient," said their leader. "She is a Diamond, after all. She must be very busy."

No sooner had she spoken then the main doors behind them were thrown open and in marched a group of Rubies and Amethysts. As the Rose Quartzes were turning to see what the commotion was, the other doors along the sides and back opened up, and more warriors began pouring in. The Rubies and Amethysts were joined by Jaspers, Agates, and Citrines. There must have been ten thousand of them alone, and they were accompanied by hundreds of giant fused Rubies and fused Agates. The Rose Quartzes were completely surrounded with no way out.

"What is the meaning of this?!" the leader of the Rose Quartzes shouted.

A Citrine stepped forward. "Red Diamond has stated that her order stands. You are traitors and you are all to be shattered. Submit quietly and there will be no trouble."

"Being shattered sounds like trouble enough," quipped the Rose Quartz leader, though it didn't sound like her heart was in the joke. "But why the order? What have we done wrong?"

Citrine laughed. "She says you Rose Quartzes are too smart for your own good, which is funny, because you're asking a lot of stupid questions."

Rose Quartz glared at her. "We came to speak with Red Diamond, and that is what we are going to do, so you'd best move out of the way and bring Red Diamond out here."

Citrine's eyes went wide. "You'd presume to tell a Diamond what to do? How dare you! If Red Diamond were here, she'd—"

The door directly behind the throne thundered open, causing everyone to turn in surprise. Over the threshold strolled Red Diamond, her Pearl at her heels.

"My Diamond!" said the Rose Quartz leader. She saluted. The other Rose Quartzes did as well, followed by the rest of the soldiers in the room. "I'm so glad you're here," she said across the great length of empty hall. "You must know that this is all a big misunderstanding. We are most certainly not traitors. We denounce the Rose Quartz of Earth one and all."

Red Diamond did not seem to notice. She walked over to her throne and sat down, grasping the arms of the chair and leaning back. "Citrine," she said.

"Yes, my Diamond?" said the Citrine leader.

"Begin."

"Yes, my Diamond."

"Begin what?" said the Rose Quartz leader. She did not have time to react as the Citrine put her hand to the gem on her chest and pulled out her massive hammer. Citrine swung it hard, connecting directly with the gem in the Rose Quartz's stomach. Rose Quartz had just enough time to look surprised, then her body began to glow. With a terrible piercing sound, she burst into mist. There was nothing left but the tinkling sound of the shards of her broken gem hitting the floor.

The Rose Quartzes gasped in horror. "Shatter them!" shouted the Citrine, and all the gems began pulling their weapons.

The Rose Quartzes tried to defend themselves as well as they could, but all they had were their shields. While they could take a lot of force, eventually the shields would crack. Rose Quartzes were being shattered.

"Fight back!" someone shouted.

"Shield wall!" shouted another, and the Rose Quartzes formed a line of shields, while those behind threw their shields as weapons. A shield whizzed through the air and struck the gem on a Ruby's throat, breaking it into pieces.

The strategy worked as well as it could with the Rose Quartzes being outnumbered ten to one. They held and they fought as hard as they could, but they didn't have any real weapons. For every gem they shattered, a Rose Quartz was shattered as well. At that rate, they had no hope. They would all be destroyed.

Ten stood in the middle of all of this carnage and found herself unable to move. Everywhere she looked there was fighting. Gems that looked just like her were being destroyed, their bodies turning to mist until the air was so thick with it that it was blinding. The powdery dust of shattered gemstones flowed into her nose and mouth. Several Rose Quartzes were trying to grab the gems of fallen friends to protect them, but she didn't see the point. They were trapped.

"My Diamond!" shouted one of the Rose Quartzes, reaching towards the matriarch on her throne. "Why?"

Red Diamond watched implacably. She looked mildly angry, but mostly she seemed bored, as if she wanted all of this to just be over already. The Rose Quartz who called to her had her gem shattered by a Jasper's helmet, but Red Diamond didn't seem to notice or care.

"We need to get out of here!" another Rose Quartz shouted.

"How?"

"We move as one! Push this shield wall towards the main door. That is where their lines are thinnest. Go! Now!"

The circle of shields began moving. Those that got in their way were pushed by the shields, trampled, shattered, or all three. All the while, Rose Quartzes at the rear were holding off the unending swarm of gems. Their progress was slow, but steady and deliberate. To Ten's surprise, they were soon near the door, and then they were passing through. After the last Rose Quartz was through, several of those in the back grabbed the door and pulled it closed. "Go!" they shouted, their arms holding the door where they could. "We'll stall them. Get out of here!"

The rest of the Rose Quartzes ran. Many saluted before they went. It was only a matter of time before the other gems went around through the side entrances and the Rose Quartzes holding the door would be surrounded and shattered. They knew that, but they held it anyway.

With no need for a shield wall, the remaining Rose Quartzes began running at full speed toward the spaceport where they had all landed. They needed to get to their ships and escape. Most of the guards on Homeworld seemed to be at the Citadel, but there were still plenty between the Rose Quartzes and freedom.

When they finally made it to the spaceport, a shout of rage went up from those in front. When Ten entered, she saw Pyropes, the engineers of the spaceport, pulling apart their ships. Of the thousands of ships there, most were scrap now as hundreds of Pyropes put their skills to use dismantling everything like a swarm of nanites.

"Shatter them!" someone shouted in rage, and hundreds of Rose Quartzes surged forward. The Pyropes, not fighters by any measure, turned to flee, but dozens of them were caught by the Rose Quartzes and stomped to dust.

Even as they were still handling the Pyropes, the gem guards charged into the spaceport from behind. The Rose Quartzes scrambled for the ships, dozens in each, just trying to get off the planet. Ten and nearly twenty others got in one ship.

"Get this thing started," one of them said.

Ten hammered at the ignition, but nothing happened. "We've no power! They must have removed the core."

"No! What do we do?"

"We have to get to another ship."

"Through that?" She pointed to the huge host of gems.

"We've got no choice."

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe," said one. She wasn't talking to anyone in the ship, but rather to the half dozen gems she had cradled in her arms.

"Go!"

It was a mad dash. They bashed and punched and kicked their way through the crowd, taking hits from all sides. It only took a minute to get from one ship to the next, but it felt so much longer to Ten. When they were all inside, they sealed the door. Ten looked around the ship. Including herself, there were only twelve Rose Quartzes left. She didn't see the one that was holding all the gems.

The engine of the ship revved to life as one of the Rose Quartzes powered it on. "Thank the stars!" she said. "We wouldn't survive running to another ship. Let's get out of here."

Gems were swarming the outside of the ship, banging on the hull and trying to hold it down, but the ship lifted off easily and shot upwards, far behind many of the other ships that had already taken off. A few more ships were following behind, but Ten's ship was among the last.

"Are we safe?" said one of the Rose Quartzes. She seemed as shaken as Ten was.

"Almost," said the pilot. "We're pulling out of the gravity well now, and then it's…" she trailed off as she looked through the viewfinder.

"Oh no," whimpered Ten. Ahead was a massive armada of ships. They were getting into position to blockade the Rose Quartz ships coming out of the main Homeworld spaceport. Already Rose Quartz ships were trying to run the blockade, but a barrage of missiles and lasers was destroying most of them.

But not all. As more Rose Quartz ships made it to the blockade, some began slipping through. Soon, a full dozen were on the other side of the blockade. The blockade ships turned to give chase, breaking formation and opening even more places for ships to get through. Bracing herself, Ten watched the massive blockade ships draw nearer and nearer. And then they were past, and the blockade grew smaller behind them. The pilot took a hard left around the planet, trying to put it between them and the blockade, then flew straight out into space.

They watched for signs of pursuit, but none came.

They were free.


	4. Gem Monsters

Ten needed to take a rest against a tree. Being a gem, she wasn't physically tired, but it was clear the story was taking a different kind of toll on her.

"Are you okay?" said Steven meekly. The story was horrible to hear and he wasn't sure he knew what to say to ease her mind. "You don't have to tell me any more of your story," he said. "You're just going to have to tell it again when you meet the others. From the sound of it, once is more than enough."

"No, it's fine," she said. "I've just never told the story aloud is all."

"It sounds terrible." He felt stupid for saying that.

"It was. Seeing other Rose Quartzes being shattered… it's almost like watching yourself die over and over. It's a bit much." She sniffed loudly, turned away, and wiped her face. She stood back up. "But my story's not over, Steven. How much longer do we have to walk?"

"Well, if we're not completely lost, it should be about two more hours." He looked off into the distance. "I think I recognize that city, though. We saw that big squiggly-looking building on our way to your ship, so we're still headed the right way." He looked at the sun as it sank deeper in the western sky. It was going to be dark soon. If it went down before they found the warp pad, he was pretty sure they wouldn't find it today. "We need to move a little faster."

"I can… if you feel safe with me, I can carry you."

"Really? That'd be great!" She walked over and placed her hands on his sides and hoisted him up. She was very strong and lifted him to her shoulders with ease, but he suddenly felt uneasy. He wondered if this was what it would be like if his mother were still… alive? Still existed? He wasn't even sure if she could be considered dead or just… something else. _Or some_ where _else_ , he thought, rubbing his gem absently. Were she here, would she pick him up as easily and as readily? Would he feel this same strange mix of danger and security, despite knowing his mother even less than he knew this Rose Quartz below him? He was filled with confusing emotions and all he knew was that he would rather hear more of Ten's sad story then tackle them right now.

"Thank you, Steven."

"Huh? What for?"

"That you let me handle you makes me feel trusted. It makes me feel… safe."

"Oh, uh, sure. No problem." He didn't have the heart to tell her that his legs were just really tired and he'd rather she tried yanking his gem out again than have to walk one more step.

"Hold on tight," Ten said, gripping has legs. She began to run much faster than Steven would have been able to manage. At this speed, Steven figured they could probably make it to the warp pad just as the sun was hitting the horizon.

"Where was I in the story?" she said, her voice level despite the powerful shocks her legs were shooting up her body.

"Your ship had just gotten off Homeworld."

"Ah, right. From there, things gradually went from bad to worse…"

* * *

The Rose Quartz pointed to herself. "Since I've been chosen leader, you can call me One." She pointed to another Rose Quartz. "Two." Then another. "Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. And you're Twelve."

"Not very creative names," observed Eight.

"Why don't we just go by our Facets or something?" Five asked.

"After what Homeworld just did to us," said One, "I don't really feel like going by my Cut or Facet. Do you?"

The other Rose Quartzes were forced to agree under the circumstances. They didn't like it much either, but for better or worse, they were outcasts from gem society.

"So what do we do now?" said Ten. "This ship doesn't have much fuel left, and even if it did, we have no idea where we're going or what we're doing. I mean, what are we going to do with our lives now?"

"Whatever we want, I guess," said Eleven.

"Well, what do we want?" asked Ten.

No one had a ready answer. After a moment of silence, One said, "For the time being, it's to not get shattered." The others nodded and murmured agreement.

Ten looked around at the others. Of the twelve of them, most looked like the standard Rose Quartz model, including herself. The only variations were One, Three, and Eleven.

Eleven wore her hair in a tight braid running down to mid back. Her eyes were wide and feral-looking, and while her muscles weren't as pronounced, she looked wiry and tough.

Three kept her hair shaved down to near baldness. Her jaw jutted out, ending in a strong chin. Her shoulders were wide and powerful, as well as her legs, but her waist was extremely thin, giving her an oddly pinched look.

One, on the other hand, had gone a different way. She looked larger in the middle, almost fat. It made her look less intimidating, but also more trustworthy. She kept her hair extremely long, letting it spill in ringlets nearly down to the floor. Whereas the standard Rose Quartz wore armor of shiny metal over most of their torso, One had chosen a long gown that looked more like something a Diamond would wear. It certainly didn't interfere with her ability to fight, however, as she had been ferocious as they were moving from ship to ship. In fact, all three of those who modified their appearance fought on a different level from the others. They must have seen a lot of combat. It made sense, in a way: most gems only changed their appearance after taking damage because the process took so long that they couldn't find the time to do it. These three had been reduced to dust and survived to fight another day.

Had Ten ever been poofed, that would likely be it for her since she usually worked alone. If these three had been recovered, that meant companions.

And companions meant war.

Ten shook her head. She didn't want to think about war. She was still in shock from the battle at the Citadel. She felt on the verge of crying, but her body just wouldn't do it. Her head rang with the sound of shattering gems. She covered her ears to try and make it stop.

Six spoke up. "According to the ship's database, if we're going to go somewhere for fuel, our best bet is this colony here." She pointed to a dot on the map labeled 'Azipan.' "It is small and sparsely populated, but it's in an important enough location to warrant a fully equipped spaceport. We'd barely be noticed. We should also grab a spare power core or two, just in case."

"And then what?" said Four. "We could just as easily each grab a docked ship and go our separate ways."

"And you're going to, what, just wander space alone?" said Seven.

"Doesn't seem much different from wandering through space together, does it?" Four snapped back.

Seven looked hurt. "It would be better to at least have some company, wouldn't it?"

"If you want to leave, I'm not going to stop you," One said. "None of you are obligated to stay. I don't control you, nor do I want to. I won't force you to do anything. If at any spaceport you want to leave, go right ahead. In fact, I'd prefer it, because if we are going to stick together to survive, I want to be sure that I can trust the gems at my back."

Four flushed at this. "No, I want to stay. I was just saying."

"You're just scared," said Eleven. "We all are." She nodded at One and Three. They nodded back.

"It's going to take half of our remaining fuel reserves to get to Azipan," said Six, picking up where she left off. "We'll need to restore a quarter of our reserves to make it to the next safe spaceport. If absolutely necessary, we can leave with as little as a five percent refuel, but let's just say I don't see us sneaking in and out of the urbanized trade center that gets us to."

"So a quarter of a tank," said One.

"Full is best, but yeah, a quarter will do."

They called down to the Spaceport's control tower. Six used audio only so they wouldn't see the ship full of Rose Quartzes. They were given permission to land near the central fuel depot, directly in sight of the main control tower. They didn't like it, but there was no reasonable excuse for requesting a different landing bay, so they just accepted it.

They landed quickly and got to work. If the gems in the tower hadn't noticed that they were flying in a bright pink ship that was clearly a Rose Quartz's, it wouldn't take much longer.

One, Five, Six, and Twelve were going to watch the ship and monitor whatever communications they could decipher coming in or out of the control tower. Two, Three, Seven, and Nine, were in charge of fueling the ship. Four, Eight, Ten, and Eleven were sent out to see if they could find any power cores and after that, if possible, some weapons and communicators.

None of them had any communicators. Ten had given hers back to Zircon before leaving for Homeworld, as Rose Quartzes and other warriors were usually equipped by their managers and didn't own their own gear. As such, they were going out into this spaceport unarmed and alone.

"Stay close together," said Eleven. "Everyone look in a different direction and make sure no one gets the jump on us. If you see any Rubies or any type of Quartz, you warn the rest of the group. If necessary, we fight together. I don't want any of you being heroes. I also don't want any of you being cowards."

None of the others in the group questioned Eleven. She sounded like she knew what she was talking about. Ten definitely had no idea how to fight as a group, nor really how to protects others in a fight. She barely did anything during the fight at Red Diamond's Citadel, blocking a handful of attacks with her shield, but she didn't strike any other gems, partly because she was too frightened to, and partly because she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Eleven turned to Four. "You said you did security work in a spaceport, right? Where should we look for a power core?"

"I'm not sure," said Four. "We mainly guarded the terminals and landing pads. But I can definitely show you where the other stuff we need is."

Eleven frowned. "I guess that will have to do. Everyone keep a lookout for anything that might tell us where the power cores are."

"That's a lot of stuff to remember to look out for," said Eight. "Gems, weapons, communicators, power cores, suspicious activity—" Eleven put a hand up to silence her. "Hey, don't go shoving your hand in my face—"

Eleven clasped her hand over Eight's mouth and put a finger to her lips. She pointed off to their right where a group of Rubies were moving in their direction. Eleven motioned the other Rose Quartzes to get out of sight. They moved into the cramped space between a large blue ship and a wall. The Rubies hurried past, heading off in the direction their group had come from.

When the Rubies were far enough away, Four spoke up. "Do you think they're heading for the ship?"

"Yes," said Eleven. She then turned and continued heading in the direction they were going.

"Wait," said Eight. "If they're heading for the ship, we need to go warn the others."

"Not our job," said Eleven. "Besides, if they're getting commands from the Central Tower, One and the others will have heard the orders though the ships communicator. They'll take care of it."

"It doesn't feel right just leaving those Rubies to the others," said Ten.

Eleven cut her off. "I know, but we also have an important job. The success of future refuelings may well depend on whether we can find communicators and weapons. And forget about if our power core dies and we don't have a replacement. Unless you don't mind floating alone in space until the end of time."

None of the others looked happy about it, but then neither did Eleven. She led them deeper into the compound.

"Can you get your legs under this thing?" Eight grunted.

Ten shifted her weight. The power core was heavier than she thought it would be. Also bigger, being nearly as tall as a Rose Quartz. Four and Eleven were carrying a case full of communicators they had found, but they had no luck with weapons. Being a relatively peaceful sector of the galaxy, there was little-to-no security here, and what few weapons this place had were probably being carried by guards or locked up in the control tower. Most of these gems could pull their own from their gems if needed anyway.

The cores had been held in a cold storage unit near the main engineering bay. A group of Pyropes and Peridots scattered when the Rose Quartzes approached. It seemed like they had heard about the massacre at the Citadel. If security forces weren't already on their way, they would be soon.

They could hear some commotion as they drew nearer to their ship. Eleven formed her shield. "Keep moving this thing," she said. "Four, watch their backs. I'm going to see what the trouble is."

"I'll do what I can," said Four. Eleven headed off, disappearing behind the hull of a ship.

The three Rose Quartzes made progress as fast as they could, but the power core was large and unwieldy.

"Hey," said Eight to Four. "Think you can give us a hand with this?"

"I need to keep a lookout," said Four, her fingers fidgeting as they gripped the communicator case.

"If you help us out, we can get to the ship faster. Just use one hand or something."

"Oh, b-but…" stammered Four. She looked around for Eleven.

"It would really help us out," said Ten.

"…Okay. Just a little." She shifted the communicators to her right hand and placed her left underneath the power core, lifting as best she could.

"Oh, man, that really helps," said Eight.

"Yes, thank you, Four," said Ten.

"Sure, no problem." Four gave them a small smile, one that faded quickly from nerves.

They hobbled along until they were almost in sight of the ship. The commotion was growing louder and they heard an odd sound, some sort of yowling.

"What in the world are we listening to?" said Eight. Ten was about to respond when Eleven barreled into sight.

"Eleven!" said Four with relief, then "Eleven!" again in shock as a huge creature bowled into her and pinned her against a ship. It was massive, standing taller than a Rose Quartz, with its body and four limbs covered in shards of jutting crystal, a wicked, elongated face, and a mouth full of shining, gem-like teeth. A bright purple-black gem sat in its forehead. It held one of Eleven's arms against the ship and snapped its jaws inches from Eleven's face, but she held it at bay with the remnants of her free hand. It looked like she had taken considerable damage.

"I'm coming!" shouted Four, tossing down the communicator case and running to her aid.

"Wait, hold on!" shouted Eight as the sudden shift in weight caused the power core to dip dangerously.

Four jumped on the back of the beast and got her arms around its neck. It whipped its head back and forth, causing the crystals protrusions on its body to cut at Four like knives. Eleven freed her arm and began pummeling the creature with her fists and shield.

While they fought the crystal monster, Eight and Ten struggled with the sinking power core. Ten attempted to get better footing, but her legs gave out suddenly and the power core began to fall right towards the abandoned communicator case.

"No!" shouted Eight. She dove in front of the falling power core, catching it and pivoting her body at the same time, dragging it away from the case. She landed with a jarring crash on the ground, the core landing directly on top of her, crushing her. She burst into mist and Ten found herself screaming.

"Eight!" cried Four, loosening her grip on the crystal beast. It chose that moment to buck, sending Four sailing through the air and crashing to the ground. Then it lunged forward and bit Eleven on the neck. Eleven grabbed its jaws and tried to hold them apart.

"Four! Ten! Grab the communicators and get back to the ship!"

"But Eight!" said Ten. She gripped the power core around the middle and with considerable effort hoisted it off the spot where Eight had been moments before, but there were only pulverized bits of gem underneath.

"I can't hold this thing much longer," said Eleven. "Get to the ship before the others come back." She kneed the creature in the stomach and spat in its face. "You're lucky I don't have a weapon, you fractured clump."

Four stood and began running towards the ship. "Wait!" Ten called after her. She leapt over the power core and grabbed the communicator case, gave one final look back at the struggling Eleven, then took off after Four.

"Four! Look out to your right!"

Two more of those crystal creatures charged at her, practically blurs as they raced on all fours. She screamed in panic and formed her shield, catching the first one in the face. Ten ran over and formed her own shield and together they pushed the first beast off. The second one waited until they were distracted with the first and darted in, biting Four right around the gem and tearing it out of her body. With a poof, Four vanished into dust, leaving Ten alone.

"Give that back, you mutt!" Ten roared, reaching for the gem in its mouth. The thing only stared at her and bit down, shattering the gem with its teeth. "No!" She raised her shield and struck downwards, hitting the beast right between the eyes, full on the gem. There was a high-pitched keening, and then the gem shattered and the beast vanished in a puff of smoke.

She looked for the other beast and found that another was bounding towards her. She was outnumbered two to one again. She turned and ran as fast as she could. She could hear them following behind, their mouths yammering and yowling, their hands and feed pounding the ground in animalistic fervor, slowly but surely catching up. The ship was so close, but there was no way she was making it before they caught her. She was sure it was over for her.

"Get down, Ten!" called a voice. She saw the shield at the last moment and ducked her head. The shield whizzed by and took one of her pursuers in the face, then vanished. Another came a moment later and struck the second. Through the open latch of the ship, One was beckoning Ten. Ten leapt through the air and landed in a heap on the floor of the ship as One snapped the latch closed.

"The others?" she asked sharply. All Ten could do was look at her, shake her head, and whimper. One shouted towards the cockpit. "Six, take off!"

"How many are aboard?"

"Everyone that's left."

The ship's engine roared to life, and soon they were on their way out into space again. Ten huddled on the floor, shaking beyond her ability to control.

One knelt in front of her and put her hands on Ten's shoulders. "You did well against that monster. Was that your first shattering?" Ten pulled away from her and, after a moment of relative silence, started bawling her eyes out.

"I'm sorry you had to do that. I'm sorry you lost your companions. It gets easier." She turned back towards the cockpit. "And I'm sorry about that, too."

Some time later, One took inventory and a head count. Four, Five, Eight, Nine, and Eleven were gone. The ship had been fueled to three-quarters and they had communicators, but they still had no weapons and no power cores. They had lost nearly half their party to recover only half of what they were looking for.

"What _were_ those things?" asked Two. Like Ten, she was cradling herself on the ship floor.

"Onyxes," said One.

" _That_ is an Onyx? I thought it was some wild animal!"

"They are wild animals," One snarled. "They're usually only let out in the most dire of circumstances. They can hardly tell friend from enemy and they are very, very good at destroying gems." She shook her head. "They didn't even use them at the Citadel, but in a place like this where there are so few innocent gems that might be harmed by mistake, it makes sense to let the Onyxes loose. I should have thought of that."

Three put her hand on One's shoulder. "No one would have thought they would go that far. Don't blame yourself." Three gave her shoulder a squeeze, then let go with a defeated sigh. "We can't fight like this, One. We're going to be targeted no matter what system we go to or what planet we land on. We can't survive alone."

"We need to," said One. "No one else will help us."

"Excuse me if I disagree," said Six, pulling all eyes to her. She pulled up a map of the local galaxy cluster and moved through several stars and planets. She found what she was looking for and pointed to a small dot. It was labeled 'Earth.' "There is someone out there who might help us."

"She's the reason we're being shattered in the first place," said Twelve.

"She doesn't know that. I mean, probably. I doubt she wanted this to happen. If anyone will help us, it will be the Rose Quartz of Earth and her rebels."

One sat heavily on the ground. "We don't really have many options, do we? How long will it take to get to Earth?"

"In this ship?" said Six. She looked out through the viewfinder into the empty expanse of space in front of them. "A while."

* * *

"What happened next?" asked Steven.

"Well, we had communicators now," said Ten. "Our next landing went much better because of them. They made it much easier to coordinate attacks and defense and searches. We eventually got our hands on some weapons as well, which made us far more likely to survive. But even so, we're talking about a lifetime of running and hiding and raiding. Even with incredible luck and skill, we kept losing gems.

"First we lost Two to an unlucky shot from a docked ship's cannon. Soon after that, Twelve left us, deciding to take her chances alone. She might still be alive for all I know. Since there were only five of us left now, One and Three started drilling combat practices into us and Six taught us all how to navigate toward Earth in case anything terrible happened to her. Which it did, unfortunately; while the four of us were out searching for fuel and supplies, a party of Rubies raided the ship and shattered her. We took the ship back eventually, but before we could they broke our navigation systems. That made it a lot harder to find Earth.

"Then Three got shattered, surprisingly. I didn't think Seven and I would outlast her, but we did. One tripped an alarm in an armory and Three held the security forces off on her own. She went just like Eleven did: sacrificing herself to keep her companions alive.

"Seven was next. Then it was just me and One. And then…" Ten sighed. "And then it was just me. Alone. Running to get fuel and find weapons and hoping I didn't die, trying to find Earth and struggling to survive for reasons I often forgot."

"So all of your friends…?" Steven couldn't finish the question.

Ten nodded. "And all I have left to remember them by is this." She reached into her armor and pulled out a little black bag. She shook it and it jangled.

"What is that?"

"One. I promised I'd bring her shards to Earth. I think I'll put them somewhere significant. She'd probably like that." Steven found himself tearing up and he clutched reflexively at Pearl.

After a short walk in silence, they stepped into a small clearing. Reddish sunlight filtered through the trees as the sun sank to the west, illuminating the warp pad with a fiery glow. "It's been a long time since I used one of these," said Ten. "I'm not sure I'll be able to direct it correctly."

"Don't worry, I can handle it," said Steven, hopping down from her shoulders. "Just stand on the pad and I'll bring you home with me."

"So you trust me enough for that, now?"

Steven paused. His instinct was to immediately answer in the affirmative, but he found himself hesitating. For some reason, he just couldn't say yes. She had just opened up to him in a deeply personal way, so she was deserving of his trust, wasn't she? He looked up at her, her eyes becoming anxious as his answer became more and more delayed. Her hand hovered unconsciously near her sword. Panicking a little, he tried to respond nonchalantly. "I either trust you, or I believe you made up that story, and I'll be honest, if you made up a story like that, well, that would be pretty messed up." He cringed at his own clumsy words, but she seemed relieved.

Not wanting another awkward moment like that, he stepped on the crystal plinth and it began to glow blue, then light shot upwards and they were being pulled into the warp stream.

"You really can do it!" she said. "You're full of surprises, little hybrid."

"I get that a lot. Now let's go home."


	5. Meetings

Blue light descended onto the platform before the temple door. With a blinding flash, it vanished, leaving Steven and Ten looking around for signs of others.

"Yo, Garnet, is that you?" came a voice from the kitchen.

"Amethyst!" said Steven happily.

"Amethyst!" Ten hissed, her hand going to her sword. She realized what she was doing and took a deep breath. "Calm down. There are no enemies here." She slowly released the hilt.

"Are you okay, Ten?"

"I'm fine."

"Y-you don't sound fine."

"Who you talking too, Steven?" came Amethyst's voice. "Is Connie with you? Hi, Connie!"

"No, it's not Connie, it's—where are you?"

"I'm under the kitchen sink. You've been hiding food down here."

"I'm not hiding any food down there. I think you're eating the sponges again."

"That would explain why they're so bland." She stood up from the behind the counter. She was still eating the sponges. "But then why is sponge cake so good?"

She saw Ten and froze with her mouth half open, bits of half-chewed sponge falling out. Then her eyes went wide, her mouth broke into a ridiculous smile, and she began emitting a high-pitched squeal that was painful to the ears.

"STEVEN!" she shouted, bounding over the countertop and landing in front of Ten, which did nothing for Ten's nerves. "Oh. My. Gosh. She's a Rose Quartz!" She reached out and jabbed Ten in the stomach with her index finger. "And she is buuuuuuff. Where did you find her?!"

Ten looked half annoyed, half-confused. "You're his Amethyst friend? Aren't you a bit… short?"

"Pfft, whatever," said Amethyst, circling around Ten and checking out her sword. "I'll let that comment slide this time because, seriously, oh man, a _Rose Quartz!_ I think you're bigger than Rose was!" She leaped up and grabbed Ten around the neck, trying to climb up on to her shoulders. Steven could see Ten shaking and trying with all her might not to freak out on Amethyst.

"Uh, Amethyst? Could you not climb all over our new friend? She's a guest. You wouldn't climb all over Connie, would you? Or Lion?"

"That's because neither of them will let me. Believe me, I've tried. Surprisingly, Connie puts up the bigger fight of the two."

Ten reached up and grabbed Amethyst by the arms, swinging her over her head and, instead of smashing Amethyst into the ground which is what it looked like she wanted to do, she placed her gently on her feet. "Please don't climb me."

Amethyst spun to face her. "Gah, you're so cool! Wait until Pearl and Garnet get a load of you!"

"Oh, yeah," said Steven, digging Pearl out of his pocket. "Pearl's gonna need some time to recover."

Amethyst took the gem. "Whoa." She looked up at Ten. "Did you do this?"

Ten's face flushed. "I did, but it was a misunderstanding, I swear. I would never have—"

Amethyst started laughing. "You poofed Pearl? That's hilarious! Oh man, she is gonna be so embarrassed when she recovers."

Ten was taken aback by that reaction. "Do you think that's funny?" She roared. Amethyst stopped laughing and took a step back in surprise. "One of your comrades was almost killed and you're _laughing_ about it?!"

"Whoa, Ten, calm down," said Steven, grabbing one of her arms. Her fists were balled and shaking. "She didn't mean anything by it. That's just the way Pearl and Amethyst are."

"Yeah, I'm not happy about it. I was just having a little fun at Pearl's expense."

"Then don't act like you don't care!"

"Hey, I care," said Amethyst defensively. "Why do _you_ care? You've never even met her."

"Because I've met hundreds like her." Her eyes were shining with angry tears.

"Okay," said Amethyst, "you need to chill. Steven, I'm taking Pearl's gem to her room, then I'm going to mine. Call me when Garnet gets back." She opened the door to the gem temple. "Great first impression, Rose," she grumbled as she walked over the threshold.

"It's Ten!" Ten shouted after her as the door closed. She stood there breathing heavily for a moment, then sat cross-legged on the floor, putting her face in one of her huge hands. "Gah, why did I do that? I just—I couldn't control myself. Way to screw it up, Ten." She punched the floor with her other hand. The floorboards barely held out.

"I'm sorry, Ten," said Steven. "Amethyst probably wasn't the best person to meet first. Garnet would have been more understanding, I think. Amethyst really does care about Pearl."

"I know, Steven." She rubbed her forehead. "She would be a terrible person if she didn't care for her comrades, and I don't think you would make friends with a terrible person, would you?"

Steven shrugged. "I'd probably try."

Ten laughed. "You probably would." She looked up at him, and then around the room. "So what is this place? A base of some kind?"

"Base? No, this is our home. The gems and I live here."

"All of you? Even your leader? Who _is_ your leader?"

"That would be Garnet. And yeah, she lives here, too."

"Really? But how would you ever hold off an attack? The floor plan is so open."

"We don't really have to worry about those. At least, not too much. We do get centipeetles though. And drill things. And those whatever plugs. Huh. Come to think of it, we probably _should_ do something about the defenses here."

"You know what?" said Ten, standing up. "The last thing I want to talk about is fighting. Is there something I can do while waiting for this Garnet to return?"

"I can show you around town. You just can't freak anyone out out there. Some of them can be a little panicky. And conspiracy theory-y. And maybe crazy."

"I'll try."

"We'll start with here!" Steven gestured widely to the room. "There's the warp pad," he said, pointing. "You've already seen that. That's the door to the gem temple—only Crystal Gems can get in there. Except Peridot, I guess. And maybe Lapis, eventually. Will not be able to get in, I mean. Eventually not. Unless they can change the door, then maybe she can."

"Crystal Gems?"

"Yeah! That's what we call ourselves. And that's the kitchen. I know gems don't have to eat, but I do, so I keep all my food here. I used to have sponges too but, y'know. And up there is where I sleep. You probably don't do that much either. And over here is the bathroom." He opened the door and looked inside. "Come to think of it, you're not going to use half these room." He turned to find that Ten wasn't behind him. He looked around the corner and saw her staring up at the painting above the door. "Oh. Uh, I see you found mom's painting."

"That's her?" Ten said softly.

"Yeah. That's what she looked like. I never saw her in person though."

"She looks so much like One." Ten sat on the ground and stared up at the painting.

Steven waited, but Ten made no move to get back up. "Uh, and… and this over here is—"

"If you don't mind, Steven," she said, "I'd like to just sit here for a while."

Steven wrung his hands anxiously. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, okay. That's fine. I'll just, uh, be here. Behind you. Just, uh, doing what I do."

"Thank you, Steven."

Steven waited behind her a while, watching. He didn't like that she was so engrossed by the painting for some reason, but he didn't know why. All he knew was he felt a hot flash of annoyance when she looked at it with those wide eyes. At times she would seem on the brink of tears, and sometimes she looked consumed by anger. Whatever was happening in her head was doubtless something Steven would find as confusing and sad as everything else about Ten.

He realized that he still didn't know much about her. Sure, he knew her history, at least the longest and worst part of her history, but he still didn't really know who she was as a person. All he had consistently seen from her so far were angry outbursts and tears. It made him feel like maybe bringing her back to the beach house was a bad idea. While he had been friendly with her, he thought that maybe it was better if he didn't immediately think of her as a friend. She needed help and Steven didn't think he was the one who could help her. Maybe one of the other Crystal Gems was.

At least, he really hoped one of them was.

* * *

Garnet returned in the middle of the night. She arrived in a house that was in near total darkness with a small object in her hand. She took a single step off the warp pad and paused. Ahead of her, sitting in front of the door and frozen in a half-turned pose, sat a large, strange gem. Garnet studied her for a moment, then bubbled the object in her hand and tapped it, sending it to the temple. Then she raised her hands, summoned her gauntlets, and took a boxer's stance. "Better talk fast."

"No, no, no," said Ten, standing and putting up her hands. "I don't want to fight. You're Garnet, right? Leader of the Crystal Gems? I'm—"

"Steven!" Garnet called out.

"Huh?" Steven got up from his bed and groggily rubbed his eyes. He looked over the edge of his loft. "Oh, hey Garnet."

Garnet let out a breath of mixed relief and aggravation as she dissipated her gauntlets. "I should have known."

"Oh yeah! Garnet, this is Ten! She's a Rose Quartz!" Steven ran down the stairs and threw his arms out as if presenting her to Garnet. "And Ten, this is Garnet."

"It's very good to meet you," said Ten.

"Charmed," said Garnet, clearly uncharmed.

"Yeah, Ten was anxious to meet you, weren't you, Ten?" Steven made a fist to playfully tap Ten on the leg, but as soon as he balled his hand, Garnet tensed.

"Steven!" she said sharply. It surprised Steven into stopping in mid punch.

"Huh? What's up, Garnet."

Garnet looked surprised too, but quickly recovered. "Would you join me in my room for a moment?"

Steven put his hands on his cheeks and gasped. "Garnet's room?"

"You don't mind waiting, do you?" she said to Ten.

"Oh no, not at all," Ten said quickly.

"Good. Come with me, Steven."

Garnet turned towards the temple door and Steven ran over to stand next to her, hopping excitedly in place. She raised her hands and the gems on the door shone, then the door split open and she and Steven disappeared through it.

That wasn't what Ten was expecting, and it made her anxious. Garnet had barely acknowledged her. Did gems just drop in every day for these people? There was no way that was possible. Then why was she being ignored? What could Garnet possibly be talking with Steven about that was more important than greeting and debriefing a new ally? How could Garnet think that little of her? They had just met! The more she thought about it, the more furious she became.

As time passed, the anger began to ebb, but it was still piping hot when Garnet came back through the door. Steven came with her, but he moved off to the side, staring down at the ground with a dejected look.

"Ten, was it? Steven, Amethyst, and I just had a little talk about you. I need you to step outside with me for a little chat."

"Fine." Though still angry, Ten was quick to obey. She had no doubt that Garnet was in charge. She carried herself like the confident commander who expected her orders to be followed.

They walked out the front door, down the stairs, and onto the beach. In a seemingly random spot, Garnet stopped, turned toward Ten, and sat down. She patted the sand, so Ten sat down across from her.

"Close your eyes," said Garnet.

Ten gave her a suspicious look. "Why would I do that?"

"If you want me to trust you, you have to trust me. Close your eyes."

Ten frowned but did as she was instructed. A long moment passed and they sat there in the dark, alone on the beach. "I want you to take a deep breath," Garnet said at length.

"Why? I don't need to breath."

"I said, I want you to take a deep breath."

Ten blew air out of her nose in agitation, but did what she was told. "Now breathe out slowly." Ten did so. "And breathe in again. Now out slowly." She repeated this for several minutes. At first, Ten was annoyed with having to perform this asinine test or ritual or whatever it was, but slowly, that annoyance began to fade, and so too did her anger. Garnet's commands to breathe became less commanding, more quiet and gentle. After a few more minutes, Garnet stopped instructing her and just let Ten breathe that way for a while.

"How are you feeling now?" Garnet asked.

"Surprisingly relaxed," Ten said.

"Good. Open your eyes." Garnet was still sitting across from her, but she was scooching closer. "I need you to be calm because you are not going to like what I have to say. I want to be very clear about something: what you did to Pearl was unacceptable."

"I know—" Ten began.

Garnet cut her off sharply. "No excuses. What you did was try to kill my friend, and you almost succeeded. If Steven wasn't there, or if Steven didn't have the powers of a Rose Quartz, I might be sorting through her shards right now. Had Steven been the first through that door, I might have had to bury him too."

"I didn't—"

Garnet practically shouted. "NO EXCUSES." Ten shut her mouth. Softly again, Garnet continued. "You have a lot of issues, Ten, issues that you need to get a handle on. I am not going to be your therapist, I am not going to babysit you, and I am not trusting you to be around Steven until you get yourself together and give me a reason to trust you.

"We're the Crystal Gems. We may make big mistakes and we may not always fight for the right cause, but we try. We don't ambush people. We don't fight them unless they give us a reason to. We talk to people. We're not murderers. Something tells me you can't say the same for yourself." Ten frowned, but she didn't offer a rebuttal. "I'm asking you to stay out here for the night. It won't make me trust you, but it will be a good start. Steven might come looking for you. If he does, you avoid him until I tell you otherwise. Are we clear?"

Ten looked down at the sand, angry and ashamed. "Crystal."

Garnet leaned back. "Good word choice. Now that I've said my piece, what would you like to say for yourself?"

Ten looked at Garnet, who returned her stare with an open expression. The look on Garnet's face made Ten shake, but not with anger. She felt a heat rise up in her chest and in her cheeks, and before she knew it, she was crying.

"I'm such an idiot," she said, pounding the sand with one hand and wiping at her face with the other. "I've dreamt of this moment for so long, playing it out in my head, but everything's gone wrong. I wanted to make a good first impression but I kept screwing it up over and over. Literally my first seconds with Pearl I nearly kill her, then I lose my temper with Amethyst, and I don't even know what I can do about you." She sniffed loudly and tried to stem her flowing nose with her arm. "I just wanted to be trusted and liked. I just wanted to be safe. And now I'm none of those things."

Garnet nodded sympathetically. "I can understand that. You're not the first to mess up introductions with us. Probably won't be the last, either."

"Please, I just need another chance. I promise I can do better. You can't turn me away. You just can't."

"You're in no position to tell me what I can and can't do," said Garnet. "But you'll get your chance. Just not today. Nor tomorrow. Maybe not for a while. The Crystal Gems and I need to discuss your situation and decide what we should do with you. If you hang around the beach, we'll come get you eventually." She was quiet for a moment, watching Ten as she struggled to regain composure. "Steven said you've got quite the story, but he didn't want to tell me himself. That's very unlike him. I'll take his word that you only have good intentions because he is rarely wrong about people. But just know that if any harm befalls him because of you, it is your duty to take responsibility."

Ten didn't know what Garnet meant by that, but she nodded anyway. Garnet stood up and walked over to Ten. "It's hard to make friends sometimes, I know. But you have one advantage that a lot of people don't."

Ten sniffed. "What's that?"

With a wry grin, Garnet said, "Most idiots don't know that they're idiots." She gave Ten a gentle bop on the head with her fist, then walked past her towards the beach house.


	6. Judgment

"Thanks for coming over, Connie. Being grounded is the worst. Garnet won't even let me go get donuts."

"No problem, Steven," she said, sitting next to him on the edge of his loft. "I'm surprised you're still grounded after five days. Last time lasted all of an hour before you were ungrounded. Garnet usually goes easy on you."

"Yeah." Steven was slouched over, arms on knees and his chin in his hands.

"I don't think I've ever seen you look so down, Steven. And it's not about the grounding, is it?"

"No," he admitted. "It's about Ten."

"The Rose Quartz?" Steven had told her everything over the phone. "Where is she, anyway? I wanted to meet her."

"She's outside somewhere. I've seen her a few times from the window walking around on the beach."

"And you're upset about her?"

"Yeah? No? I don't know. Something about her makes me really confused."

"Is it because she's like your mom or something?"

"I don't think so." He sighed. "I kind of wish I could talk to her again, but I also kind of don't want to talk to her, y'know? She really hurt Pearl and made Amethyst mad. I was super ready to forgive her for all that, but I just don't feel like I can be friends with her."

"Steven Universe? Thinking he can't be friends with someone?" She had a look of mock disbelief on her face.

"I'm serious! The more I was around her and heard her talk, the more something felt off about her. I tried to look past it, but I can only be so optimistic. Something is wrong with her, Connie. Like, _really_ wrong. Garnet felt it too after only one look. She told me that Ten was extremely dangerous, and I believed her. I didn't believe her about Lapis and I didn't believe her about Peridot, but I believe her about Ten."

"Wow," said Connie, showing serious concern. "That's a lot harsher than I thought."

"I know! I feel terrible about it! I was so quick to trust her even after I saw her nearly kill Pearl. Garnet said that because the gems can regenerate, I sometimes don't take their injuries as seriously as I should, and she's right. I should have thought it through more before I let her into the house."

"Wow," Connie said again. "Their lessons—I mean, they don't exactly bounce off you, but they usually don't sink in like this." Steven gave her a hurt look. "I don't mean that in a bad way," she amended quickly. "Like, you usually trust your own judgment over theirs. It's good that you're assertive, but ignoring them might get you hurt one day. They are also crazy experienced with things like these and I always kind of thought you should defer to them more often."

"If I did, Peridot would still be stuck in a bubble."

"I don't mean every time. Ugh, I'm not doing a good job of explaining what I mean."

"No, you are," he said apologetically. "And you're probably right. It hurts to hear, but I need to hear it. You're just being a good friend."

She blushed and gave him a crooked smile. "I know what'll cheer you up. How about I go pick up some donuts from the Big Donut? I'm sure they're languishing without your business."

"That would be awesome."

The temple door opened and Pearl stepped out. "Oh, hello Connie."

All signs of mopey Steven vanished instantly. "Pearl's back!" Steven jumped down from the loft and went in for a hug.

"Hi Steven," she said, hugging him back. She looked tired.

"It only took you five days to recover?"

"Well, I didn't change my body," she said, looking down at herself. "I was in something of a rush. I'm sure Garnet is going to have some choice words for me. I also wanted to see how this Rose Quartz is getting along with everyone."

Steven took a step back. "So you haven't talked to Garnet yet?"

"Not yet. Where is she? And Rose Quartz?"

"Garnet's in her room and Ten is outside, but—"

"Ten? Is that what we're calling her?" Steven nodded. "Well, I need to speak with her. I'll be right back." She made to move around him, but he sidestepped into her way.

"Actually, you'd better go talk to Garnet first."

"Steven?"

"Pearl." He looked her in the eyes and she must have seen something there because after staring for a moment, she nodded.

"Okay. Sure. I'll talk to Garnet first. Is she—"

"Behind you," said Garnet as the temple door slid open. She stepped through with Amethyst a pace behind.

"Oh! Garnet!" Pearl said, shrinking back. "I was just about to—"

"Save it," said Garnet shortly. "I'll have time to yell at you later. Steven, you and Connie can go into town. Stay there until we come get you. Now that Pearl has recovered, we need to talk to Ten."

"Why can't I talk to her too?"

"Steven," she said gently, "please don't be difficult about this. It is very important that you not talk to her yet, okay? Do you trust me?"

Steven looked unhappy, but he nodded. "Don't ever think I don't trust you," he said.

Garnet smiled. "That's why we love you." She placed a familiar hand on his head.

Amethyst pushed past Garnet. "Here's some cash," she said. She handed it to Steven, then wrapped him in a hug. Not one of the wild, crushing hugs she normally had in store for him, but a gentle one. If Steven was surprised, she didn't give him time to react as she smiled broadly, turned him and Connie around, and pushed them toward the door. "Have fun, you guys. Save some for me." She shoved them out the door and closed it, waving goodbye as they walked down the stairs and toward the store.

When they were sufficiently far from the door, Garnet spoke up. "Ten will be coming around the beach from the opposite direction in about fifteen minutes. We'll bring her up here then."

Pearl was looking at Amethyst. "What in the world was that?" She glanced at Garnet. "What's going on? You're both acting very strange. Steven, too. What did I miss, exactly?"

"Not much," said Garnet. "But also a lot."

"Pearl," said Amethyst. Her voice was uncharacteristically somber. "Look, I'm not mad at you when I say this, but you almost got Steven killed. I can't really blame you cuz I probably would have done the same thing, but that's because I'm the reckless one. You should have known better."

Pearl looked at Garnet and braced herself. "I'm really sorry, Garnet, Amethyst. I know you expect better of me."

"You could spend all day apologizing to us and it wouldn't make much difference," said Garnet, causing Pearl to wince, "but we don't have that kind of time. There are some things we need to fill you in on before Ten gets here."

"Okay," said Pearl, relaxing slightly. "What is she doing? Is she working with us? Does she have her own objectives?"

"No," said Garnet. "She's not working with us. She wants to, but I'm not sure we should let her."

"Really? But I thought she and Steven reached some sort of understanding."

"You gotta understand, P," said Amethyst. "Even if that's the case, things aren't so simple under the surface. Tell her, Garnet."

"She is an extremely volatile gem," Garnet said. "The night she was brought here, I had terrible visions. You know how Steven can be playful; Ten sometimes sees playfulness as aggression. A saw a dozen potential futures where a wrong word or action would cause Ten to flip, causing her to harm Steven, sometimes fatally."

"Fatally?!" yelped Pearl. "Then what in the world is she still doing around here?"

"That's the thing: when she harmed Steven in those visions, it was never intentional. They were kneejerk reactions. I don't know what sort of things someone sees that makes them react like that, but it's nothing pretty. She could certainly hurt Steven, but never on purpose, and always followed by remorse. She could be a useful ally, but right now she's a weapon with a hair trigger. Anything could set her off."

"We could play this safe and just bubble her," said Amethyst.

Garnet shook her head. "Steven isn't the only one I've seen her kill." She looked meaningfully back and forth between the Pearl and Amethyst. "For whatever else she is, she seems to be an extremely experienced fighter who is used to battling multiple gem opponents at once. And winning. And with her shield, she can block attacks even from Alexandrite. No, even with all three of us, fighting her is too dangerous. No matter what we decide to do, we need to calm her first."

"Oh, this is all my fault," said Pearl, covering her face. "I got so excited about the prospect of another Rose Quartz that I let myself get carried away."

"Steven has gotten good at getting you and Amethyst to let him do what he wants."

"Not that it takes much effort with me," said Amethyst. "Also, don't count yourself out of that, Garnet."

Garnet chuckled. "Maybe. Thankfully he's good at heart, or that would be more troublesome than it is. Like Amethyst said, you weren't the only one who would have gone off prematurely. I might even have gone myself, though never with Steven." Pearl blushed at that. "But whether you had gone or not, we would still have to deal with Ten. She has been looking for us. She would have found us eventually. Whether that would have been better or worse than the situation we have now is irrelevant."

"So how do we calm this psycho?" said Amethyst.

"For starters, best not let her hear you call her a psycho." Garnet walked over to the window. Far in the distance, Ten was rounding the cliffs on the beach. "Besides that, I think it best if we ask her directly."

* * *

Garnet sat back. She looked at Amethyst and Pearl. Pearl was openly weeping and Amethyst looked angry and confused. "That's quite a story you've got," said Garnet. "Is that the same one you told Steven?"

"More or less, besides some details here or there," said Ten. She had kept remarkably calm while relating her tribulations, but it was more like numbness than composure.

"That is messed up!" snarled Amethyst. "Corruption, genocide, planet busting; is there anything the Diamonds won't do?"

"All those poor gems," said Pearl, dabbing at her cheeks with her wrist. "Rose would be mortified if she knew our rebellion had caused that."

Garnet nodded. "I am glad she did not live to hear of this. It would have torn her apart." She put her hands together and touched them to her lip, thinking.

"So now you have a better idea of why I've come here," Ten said pleadingly, "and why I have nowhere else to go. I know I've already said and done some stupid things that may have soured your impression of me, and for that I'm sorry."

"But are you sorry because you hurt my friends," asked Garnet, "or are you sorry that you've hurt your chances?"

Ten bristled. "I'm sorry that I hurt Pearl and Amethyst, obviously. I'm not heartless, just—"

"Damaged," Garnet supplied.

Ten stood angrily at the word. "I'm not—" she began, then stomped her foot and let out an aggravated roar. "I'm doing it again!" She sat down hard, frustrated. "Look, I'm trying, but you would be messed up too if you saw what I saw and had to do what I had to do."

"Maybe," said Garnet. "Believe me, I am trying to understand you, but we have to concern ourselves with our own safety if you can't control yourself."

"Come on, I would never hurt a comrade."

Garnet gripped the arm of her chair. "That's where you're wrong." She was about to explain her future sight and tell Ten what she had seen, but Ten tensed up suddenly at those words, eyes wide. This raised Garnet's suspicion. "There is something else you aren't telling us," she accused.

"What? No, I've been honest with you. Everything I've said is true."

"Everything you've said?" said Pearl. She seemed to suddenly catch up with Garnet's line of thinking.

"What?" said Amethyst, seeing that something was passing between her two companions.

"Then what _haven't_ you said?" said Pearl.

Garnet cut in. "You've told us without hesitation that you've participated in smashing defenseless gems to keep yourself alive. What are you sitting on that you are too afraid to tell us? What is worse than that?"

A hand grasped Garnet's arm, hard. She looked over in surprise. "Amethyst?" Amethyst was staring daggers at Ten. In her eyes was a controlled fury the likes of which Garnet had never seen in her. Her hand trembled as it gripped Garnet.

"Where did you get them?" she asked coldly.

"Pardon?" said Ten. She pulled away from Amethyst's gaze.

Amethyst spoke slowly and with impeccable clarity. "Where. Did you get. One's. Shards."

Ten's mouth fell open at this, and she stared mutely at Amethyst.

"Every other time someone was shattered, you were outnumbered and had to leave them behind. One was the last, leaving you alone. So how do you have One's shards now?"

Pearl gasped and looked at Ten with horror in her eyes. "No," she said. "You couldn't possibly have…" The thought was too vile to finish.

Ten's eyes closed and she lowered her head. Her whole body seemed to deflate. She didn't offer a denial.

"She was your friend!" Amethyst shouted. She stood and in a flash she had her whip in her hand. "What happened to 'I would never hurt a comrade?' Huh?!"

"I…" Ten opened her eyes and looked at her own shaking hands. "I didn't want to. I couldn't stop it. I had no control."

"Traitor! Murderer!" Amethyst took a step toward her.

Garnet stood up and put herself between Amethyst and Ten. Her words were clipped. "So you lost control of yourself and killed your friend."

Ten stared up at them. She looked confused. "No? Yes? I don't know how to answer that."

"Did you or didn't you?" said Garnet. "It is very simple."

"My… my hands did. But I don't know if that means I did or not."

"It's not that hard!" screamed Amethyst, trying to push back Garnet, who restrained her.

While the two struggled, Pearl merely watched Ten in fascination. Her voice was calm and soft as she spoke. "Why aren't you sure? It should be a straightforward answer, so why isn't it?"

Ten looked at the three of them, then shook her head. "You've been here too long. You would not believe me."

"Try us. You have nothing to lose here."

Ten was touched at her insistence. "I don't know why you're even giving me a chance to explain. I wouldn't give me the time of day." Her hand went to her chest.

"Pearl," warned Amethyst, thinking she was going for her gem.

Instead, Ten pulled out the little black bag with One's shards inside. "Have you heard of Emeralds?" She looked at each of them, but none seemed to recognize the name. "I thought not. They were custom made by the Diamond hierarches. They are extremely powerful gems, part of a caste known as the Overlords, only a step down from the Diamonds themselves. They were made as a direct response to Earth's rebellion."

She looked up at them, hoping to see something from them, whether understanding or fear, but no reaction came. "You really don't know, do you? What an Emerald can do?"

"Just tell us," demanded Amethyst, her hand still tight on her whip.

"They can make you… do things. Against your will. Each Emerald has the ability to control a specific type of gem that is near her. We had one coming after us whose specialty was Rose Quartzes, and there was nothing we could do against her. She… she made us… made _me_ …" her body began quivering as tears gathered in her eyes.

Pearl stood and approached. Amethyst looked shocked at Pearl's willingness to keep listening, but Garnet kept her in check. "Ten," said Pearl, placing a soothing hand on her knee. "I'm a Pearl. If anyone understands serving against your will, it would be me."

Ten looked her in the eye. "Not like this, Pearl. It isn't just a natural need to follow orders. It is like losing control of your body, being a mind stuck in a ship that someone else is flying." Ten swallowed hard. "We were caught during one of our raids and brought before Emerald. She told us in detail what she was and what she could do, even showed us her power by controlling Seven. She mocked us, lorded the power and command she held over us. We were sure that would be our last day alive. Then she just… let us go. She sent us back to our ship, said we could have all the fuel and supplies we wanted, because it wouldn't be any fun hunting us if we just got stranded in space. My allies couldn't have known that from that point forward, she actually had me under her control.

"She let us think we were safe. Several of our raids went off without any issues. I fought as I always did, though I had no control over myself. It was all Emerald acting through me. Her ship showed up in orbit a couple of times, but she never engaged us. She just stayed back and watched. Then we went on the raid where we lost Three. One tripped the alarm like I said, but it was because I, or Emerald, had tricked her into doing so. We made it back to the ship without Three."

Ten reached down and grabbed Pearl's hand. "I want you to understand that everything that happens next, I had no control over. When I say 'I did this and that,' it wasn't really me, okay?" Pearl nodded understanding, and Ten released her hand again.

Ten took a deep breath. "We started heading toward our next destination. One was piloting and Seven and I were in the main compartment of the ship. Seven was beating herself up over the loss of Three. I was in my own head, screaming for her to defend herself as I felt myself going for my sword. She never understood what was happening. One moment she was looking to me for some reassurance that she wasn't to blame for Three's death, and the next I was running my sword through her gem.

"One opened the cockpit to find me kicking the last of Seven's shards out the door and into space. I don't know whether or not she understood that I was under Emerald's control, but she didn't say anything as she drew her own sword and came at me.

"I don't know how Emeralds do it, but even with someone else in control, I fought as well as I had ever fought in my life. I must have fought her for hours in that small ship, trading blows against One's superior skills. I didn't think I stood a chance against One alone. I was almost happy at that thought; One would shatter me, but she would survive. That was something, at least.

"At the last, we were both swinging at one another. I felt my sword hit her, and her sword hit me, and then my body broke and I was back in my gem. I waited for the killing blow to come, but it never did. I thought we had destroyed each other's bodies at the same time, so it might be days or weeks before she finished me off. I waited for it to happen, but again, nothing. I was afraid to reconstitute, because what if Emerald still had control of me when I rematerialized? At least there in my gem I seemed to be completely in control. But finally, after what must have been months, I allowed myself to regenerate. When I did, I found what I had feared most; I was alone on the ship with One's shards floating around the compartment. I must have hit her gem, and she must have just missed mine." She shook her head. "There was no way I could have outfought One. She could have killed me if she wanted. In the end, she just wasn't willing to shatter her friend."

She paused a long moment in contemplation before continuing. "I never saw Emerald again. I guess she figured we were all dead and left. From then on, I was in control. I gathered up all of One's shards I could find, though with an open door to space right next to where she was shattered, I doubt I got all of them. Still, we all promised that if we ever had another's shards, we would bring them to Earth. One is the only one who made it."

Her story done, she tucked the black bag away inside her armor. When she spoke next, her voice was filled with determination, as if she understood the truth for the first time. "I don't deny I shattered One and Seven, but I didn't want to and I couldn't stop myself. I want so desperately to say 'Emerald shattered them,' but in the end, they were my hands. Do with that information what you will."

The room fell to silence. The Crystal Gems looked at one another. "Well?" said Garnet.

Pearl stood. "I believe her."

"What?!" yelled Amethyst. "She just lied to us about how she shattered her friends, and now that she tells us, it's all suddenly okay?"

"Peridot should be able to confirm the existence and function of Emeralds," Garnet pointed out.

"And? Even if Peridot backs everything she says up, that just means Ten knows what an Emerald is. I mean, what are the chances a Rose Quartz-controlling Emerald runs into their group in the middle of the infinite universe?"

"Small chance or not, that is what happened," said Ten.

"You shut up," said Amethyst. She turned to Garnet. "I don't believe her, so it's tied 1-1. What do you think, Garnet?"

Garnet turned to Pearl. "Amethyst has had her say. What is your stance?"

"I may not have gone through the same things she has," said Pearl, "but I understand the unwillingness and the helplessness better than anyone here. I think her words and reactions are sincere."

"You would," said Amethyst.

"Yes, I just said that," Pearl snapped back.

"So what do you think, Garnet?"

"Yes, Garnet, tell us what you think."

Garnet considered for a moment, then held up her hands. "Sapphire is for, Ruby is against. That makes it 2-2."

Pearl sighed in relief, but Amethyst exploded. "Oh, so suddenly you're two people, huh? Now you're just pushing off responsibility, huh? Huh?"

"Pushing off responsibility?" Pearl scoffed. "Look who's talking."

"Why don't we talk to Peridot and get her opinion?" said Garnet.

"And then what? If she votes against Ten, are you just gonna find Lapis and get her opinion too? Tie it all up again?"

"I think that is enough from you, Amethyst," said Garnet.

"No way. I'm not gonna let Ten get away with what she did."

Garnet had had enough of Amethyst's yelling. She shouted over her. "And what would you have me do?! Shatter her?!"

Amethyst stumbled, her anger finally derailed. "No, I don't want that," she said awkwardly. "That would make us as bad as the Diamonds."

"Then stop all this railing against her. We can't determine the truth, so we either trust her or we don't. We're not getting anywhere yelling at each other here. We're going to see Peridot. Ten, you're coming with us."

"Okay," said Ten. Despite all the shouting, she looked somewhat relieved. "Lead the way. Just one question, if you don't mind."

Garnet nodded. "Ask away."

"Great. So, uh, who are Ruby and Sapphire?"


	7. Surveillance

Garnet opened the door to the Big Donut and found Steven and Connie exactly where she thought she would.

"We're going with Ten to see Peridot. I want you to come with us."

"Really?" said Steven, standing up. "Is it okay to talk to Ten now?"

"She's doing better, but she has a lot of work left," Garnet admitted. "Still, she is okay to be around for a little while, unless something riles her up."

"That's good. I think I should talk to her again. Maybe if she and I get to know each other better, you'll feel more comfortable with letting me around her."

"And you'll feel more comfortable, too." Steven blushed. "It's okay, Steven. I can tell that you noticed too. Ten isn't well, but we'll try to make her better if we can. It's not something that we can do in a few days."

"I hope it's sooner rather than later. Come on, Connie, let's go see Peridot."

"Ooh! Can we use the warp pad? Those things are awesome!"

"Connie," began Garnet.

"She can come too, right?" said Steven quickly, giving Garnet the widest eyes he could manage.

Garnet looked back and forth between their two eager faces. A small smile spread across her lips. "Connie, can you buy some donuts for Amethyst before we go? She would appreciate them, I'm sure."

While Connie went for the donuts, Garnet shook her head. "Looks like Amethyst was right."

"Huh? About what?"

"Nothing. Let's get back home."

* * *

When the trio walked back into the beach house, they found themselves in the middle of an extended silence.

Ten sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the warp pad, simply waiting. Pearl sat on the couch below Steven's loft, her face turned away from the kitchen and displaying a slight frown. Amethyst stood in the kitchen, not eating like normal, but watching both Ten and Pearl as she leaned on the counter.

"Is everything alright in here?" Steven asked the room at large.

"Just waiting for Garnet," Amethyst said, though even with Garnet there, she still wasn't moving from the kitchen or looking anywhere but at the other two gems. Pearl did not deign to reply.

"Enough of this," Garnet commanded. "Everyone to the warp pad." Everyone in the room made their way over to the plinth. Amethyst took efforts to make sure she was behind Ten. Ten either didn't notice, or didn't care.

"Right, well," said Steven nervously. He grasped Connie's hand. "Take us to the barn."

The column of light erupted around them. The beach house vanished from view and, after a moment passing through the warp stream, they were out in the open country, just downhill from the barn. Connie managed to land on her feet, somewhat breathless and giggly from the excitement of the short journey. Steven pulled on her hand and the two of them ran up the hill.

"Did they all seem a little tense to you?" he asked Connie.

"What?" She looked back at the other gems making slow progress behind them. "Maybe? Sorry, I was thinking about warping since the Big Donut. I even forgot to introduce myself to Ten. Oh!" She noticed the bag of donuts in her hands. "I also forgot to give these to Amethyst."

"Jeez, you would have forgotten mom's sword if it wasn't strapped to your back." She looked at him with some embarrassment. "You forgot you had the sword, didn't you?"

"Maybe a little."

As they approached the barn, they saw Lapis Lazuli lounging in the grass, her blue dress splayed about her as she stared at the sky. She sat up as she heard them approach.

"Hey, Lapis!" Steven called excitedly.

"Oh," said Connie, slowing down. "Uh, hi Lapis."

Steven turned. "Oh, right, last time you met Lapis was when she stole the ocean, right?"

"I was thinking more about the part where she almost drowned me."

"Well, she's our friend now, right, Lapis?"

Lapis studied Connie. "I'm _your_ friend, Steven. I don't really know her."

"Well, if you like Peridot, you'll LOVE Connie!"

Lapis looked at Steven, then at Connie, then lay back down in the grass. "If all of the Crystal Gems are here, then I'm sure you guys aren't here for me. Peridot is inside working on some loud, obnoxious project."

"Yeah, but we can hang out afterwards. You can get to know Connie and Ten."

"Ten?"

"Yeah, she's coming up the hill. You'll know her when you see her."

A loud, mechanical screech issued from the barn, causing Lapis to sit up in annoyance. "Ugh, it's been doing that on and off since yesterday. Peridots are supposed to be engineering geniuses, so why can't she fix it already?"

"If the noise bothers you, why don't you fly somewhere else?"

"I would, but I'm tired. I spent the last few days flying all around the Earth, seeing what it has to offer. Your planet is lovely, so I got a bit distracted and forgot to rest. I'm just holding up here for a few days before I set off again." The screech repeated itself, causing Lapis to wince. "Maybe I'll leave early and just take my chances. I might get tired and fall from the sky, but that's not so bad. I'll just land in the… ocean." She paused, frowning at nothing. "Maybe the sound isn't so bad." She lay back down and closed her eyes and didn't react when the sound came again.

"What _is_ that sound?" said Connie. "It's really loud and _really_ annoying."

"I'm not sure how Peridot suffers all that noise," said Pearl as the gems came up the hill. She looked down. "Hello, Lapis."

"Crystal Gems," Lapis said stiffly. She opened an eye, taking in the stranger in the group that stood a head taller than Garnet. Her other eye opened and she sat up. "Wait, I thought…" she looked over at Steven, then back at Ten, confusion on her face.

"Uh, excuse me?" said Ten.

"Sorry, for a second I thought you were the former leader of the Crystal Gems."

"Oh." Ten looked pleasantly surprised. "That's flattering, but no. I'm fairly new here on Earth."

Lapis stood up and rubbed her head. "I'm more tired than I thought. I should know she's not around anymore. I'm Lapis Lazuli." She offered her hand, which ten shook.

"I'm Rose Quartz, but I prefer to be called Ten."

"Ten? Oh, that's a pretty name," Lapis said in a strangely bubbly manner.

"Pretty? It's a number."

Lapis laughed nervously. "That's funny, I was thinking—" Lapis was interrupted by another shriek from the barn "—that you're probably here for Peridot, so I won't take any more of your time." Steven was certain she was going to say something else, but the interruption ruined the moment. Lapis watched them as they walked past, but she was especially focused on Ten. She looked disappointed.

Steven turned to find Connie was moving with the rest of the group, so he ran to catch up, leaving Lapis alone outside.

Inside the barn, standing against the side wall, was some sort of console. One of the panels on the side had been removed and Peridot's lower half was sticking out of it. She was tinkering with something inside and, as the party approached, the console let loose another one of its terrible grinding shrieks.

"Stupid fractured…" Peridot grumbled, her voice echoing inside the machine. "Stop going off! You're not supposed to go off yet."

"Peridot," Garnet called out to her.

Peridot shuffled out of the machine and took a look at the group. "So it was a Rose Quartz," was all she said, then popped back inside. "How long did it take you to find her? You were last here nearly a week ago. I thought you weren't going to bring her here at all, and after I offered to help facilitate communications. I would have thought you would be grateful enough to inform me that the mission was a success rather than making me sit here like a clod wondering if you had been shattered by some renegade Rose Quartz. You keep telling me I'm a Crystal Gem, then you just go off and do your own thing and don't think to inform me when your plans reached completion without any casualties. Just leave me here to worry, why don't you?" The sound of her tinkering on the machine ceased. "Are you still out there?"

"Yes," said Garnet. "Just waiting for you to finish."

"Well, I'm finished."

"Sorry to make you worry, Peridot," said Steven. "I would have come told you if I wasn't grounded. And also if I had remembered. Thanks for being worried though."

"Yes, well, it's just…" she searched for some excuse, then gave up and resumed work on her console. "Anyway, I assume you need something?"

"We need your knowledge of Homeworld to help settle an issue we're having," said Pearl.

"'Settle' nothing," said Amethyst angrily. "I still say it won't prove anything."

"Not this again," said Garnet.

"What would she have to gain from telling such a convoluted lie?" demanded Pearl.

"Uh, a lot of stuff, Pearl," said Amethyst. "She gained your trust, didn't she?"

Ten butted in. "If I was lying, wouldn't I come up with something you couldn't check? Give me some credit, shrimp."

"Who you callin' shrimp, killer?"

"You, _shrimp_."

"Enough!" Garnet put her hands between them and pushed them apart. "Let's just ask Peridot about the Emeralds and get this over with."

"Wait, what?" Peridot's voice echoed from inside the machine, followed shortly by a loud bang as she hit her head. She scrambled out of the console, staring wide-eyed at her now-confused guests. "Did you just say Emeralds? Did you see them? Are they actually here?"

"Actually here?" repeated Pearl.

"What's an Emerald?" asked Connie.

"I dunno," said Steven.

Peridot went to her console, staring at one of the monitors on it that looked like it had been pulled from an old portable television. "Then this thing actually _is_ working? I thought it was busted."

"What is it, exactly?"

Peridot gave them all a smug smile and patted the machine. "After the Ruby ship arrived and then the Rose Quartz ship crashed shortly thereafter, I decided to invest some time in establishing an orbital monitoring station to avoid any future surprises. Using some frankly glaring flaws in the humans' security measures, I got this console hooked into the Earth's various global positioning systems, weather satellites, communications arrays, even a few of their primitive telescopes. It is an advance warning system with the sole purpose of informing us when unknown ships are in orbit." The machine proceeded to screech loudly at them and, now that they were so close, they could identify it as a recording of Peridot's voice screaming 'Alert!', though heavily garbled as it issued from what appeared to be an old gramophone with a mono speaker crammed inside. "And that's the warning it's supposed to give."

"Why is it so loud?" asked Steven, his hands on his ears.

"It's an _advance_ warning system, Steven. If I didn't hear it, it wouldn't be much of an advance warning, would it?

"And what does this have to do with Emeralds?" asked Garnet.

"Because," Peridot explained patiently, like one speaks to a child, "I thought I had somehow programmed this machine incorrectly because it keeps going off due to an unusual and unlikely trigger. I mean, what are the chances that we are seeing not just one but two of the mere thirty Emerald ships in existence hovering on the edge of Earth's gravity well?"

"What?!" Ten ran forward, looking at the console. She couldn't make any sense of what she was seeing. "How can you tell? What is this? What am I looking at?"

"It's primitive, I know, but try not to break it," said Peridot, moving Ten's hands away from the console. "The humans call is 'ASCII.' It's just various symbols I'm using to represent objects. That frowny face is Earth, those squiggly marks are satellites and other human constructs, that circle with the open center—"

Ten grabbed Peridot by the hair and pulled her to within an inch of her face. "The ships! Where are the ships?!"

"Hey!" shouted Amethyst. "Don't go manhandling Peridot!"

"Here! Here!" said Peridot, hurriedly tapping some buttons. "It's a legend! It shows what each object represents! And here is the ship category. See? That's a Ruby ship!" She pointed to a tiny red 'R' that was hovering around Neptune.

Amethyst peaked over. "Are those idiots still over there?"

"And these," Peridot indicated two green 'E's "are Emerald ships."

"But what about all of these?" said Ten, releasing Peridot and pointing to a second monitor slathered with letters. "There must be hundreds of ships there!"

"Oh, t-that's just Gnome Citadel. It's a human game that I might have borrowed some ideas from."

"Don't you go bringing Citadels into this!" Ten roared, sending Peridot scurrying away.

"Great, so a couple of Emeralds followed you here?" said Amethyst.

"Oh, now you believe me." Amethyst grunted noncommittally and started picking her nose.

"That can't be," said Pearl. "According to Ten's story and some basic conversions, she would have last seen Emerald over a thousand years ago. Gems can be patient, but that's absurd."

"Not if your job is eliminating Rose Quartzes," said Garnet. "I wouldn't see much other use for an Emerald that can control them."

"That would be a reasonable assumption, yes," said Peridot, who had moved to put Garnet between her and Ten. "Was your Rose Quartz this angry? I feel like if she was you wouldn't have been so fond of her."

The console started blaring again, but this time it made a different sound. "What's it doing now?" Pearl shouted over the racket.

"Oh," said Peridot. "That would be the descent warning. That means at least one of the ships is breaching the atmosphere."

"They're coming down?!" Ten turned on the machine and gripped the edge, leaning in close to the monitor. "How fast are they coming?"

"Please be careful with my console. It's not very stable."

As if on cue, the console buckled and the monitors collapsed into the innards of the machine, bringing Ten down with them, and everything hit the ground with a loud crash, though not nearly as loud as the alarm, which abruptly shut off.

Ten lifted herself out of the rubble unscathed. "Where are they coming down?!" she shouted at Peridot.

Peridot sighed. "I'd tell you where if you didn't just destroy my monitoring station, you cloddish cabochon. Ugh, I exhausted most of my resources here already so it's gonna take me weeks to find enough parts to fix it again. The Emeralds will have touched down long before then." She didn't sound particularly concerned with the Emeralds.

"No!" Ten grabbed and yanked at her own hair, then fell to the floor and pulled herself into a fetal position. "I can't. I can't face her. I don't want to lose control again."

"Calm down, Ten," said Steven, moving forward a step. He had barely closed half the distance to Ten when she reached out and grabbed his shirt, hoisting him into the air.

"You've got to hide me!" Her eyes were wide and hysterical and brimming with tears. She rushed over to Garnet, shoving Steven into her arms. "You can't let them get me again! Who knows what they'll make me do! I don't want to do it! I won't—"

Garnet summoned her gauntlet and gave Ten a devastating backhand, knocking her to her hands and knees. Even Amethyst winced at the powerful blow. "I warned before we left that you were not to touch Steven," Garnet said as Ten looked up at her. "Are you calm now?"

"No! Now I'm just scared AND ANGRY!" Garnet hit her again, sending her face first to the floor. "Okay," she mumbled into the floorboards. "I'm calm now."

"Good," said Garnet. "Because if I have to hear one more person yelling today, I'm going to really lose my patience." She turned and gave a meaningful look at Pearl and Amethyst, both of whom suddenly found something interesting on the other side of the barn to look at.

Ten pushed herself off the floor and rubbed her face. "This isn't you losing your patience?"

"Try me and find out," said Garnet, dismissing her gauntlet. "You've already done about as much damage as you can today, so I advise you against pushing me any further." Ten had the grace to look ashamed. Garnet turned to Peridot. "It may be too late to do anything about the Emeralds, but we should still get the monitoring station up and running as soon as possible. If anyone else is coming behind them, I want to know." She turned to Amethyst and Pearl. "We're treating these Emeralds as hostile. I don't know if they have any plans for the Crystal Gems or the Earth, but if they work directly for the Diamonds, that means they are no friends of ours."

Finally, she turned to Steven and Connie. "I think you will need to sit this one out."

"Aw, what? They all get cool orders and I get shut down? Lame."

"Steven, it is likely that one of them can control Rose Quartzes. We have no idea what sort of affect that will have on you. What if Emerald can control you? What if she makes you fight against us?"

"I would never fight you guys."

"Steven…" she quickly told him about Ten's encounter with Emerald. "Even if you would never fight us, Emerald might be able to force you to do what she wants."

Steven was going to object again, but Connie's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Steven," she whispered. "Just look at Ten. Look at how terrified she is, and she's a huge warrior."

Steven looked past Garnet and, while calmed down considerably, saw that Ten was still shivering and her eyes darted around, as if she expected the Emeralds to materialize in the barn at any moment. "Ten? Is all of that true?"

She slumped, dejected, but managed a nod.

"You could have told me, Ten."

"I wanted you to like me and, well… you wouldn't make friends with a terrible person, would you?"

"I'd probably try." Steven gave her a small, reassuring smile.

She returned the smile briefly, then it vanished and she looked at him with pleading eyes. "I didn't want to hurt them, Steven. I didn't. Please believe me."

Something shifted within Steven. His apprehension about Ten suddenly lessened, then vanished altogether, and he felt he was finally able to see the real Ten. This was the truth he had known deep down was being kept from him all along and now that he had it, he knew he could trust her and count her as a friend. "I believe you."

"Ha!" Pearl let loose an indelicate honk of a laugh and threw an arm around Amethyst. "That's three to two, Amethyst. Team Ten wins!"

"Ugh," groaned Amethyst, pushing Pearl off of her. "It's two-and-a-half to one-and-a-half at best." Garnet frowned at that, and then started laughing. Soon, Pearl, Amethyst, Steven, and Connie were laughing as well.

Ten turned to Peridot. "Why are they laughing? Did something funny happen?"

Peridot's whole body sagged. "They just do this. I've stopped asking why."


	8. Gem Hearts

The phone rang. Ten held it in her large hands, trying to poke at the tiny screen.

"Be careful you don't crush it," Steven cautioned. After several tries, Ten managed to slide the icon on the screen and pick up the call. "Alright!" Steven cheered. He put his own phone to his ear. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes."

"No, put the phone to your ear. No, that's upside down. Here." He adjusted it for her, then picked up his phone again. "Can you hear me now?"

"Oh!" she said, finally understanding. "It's a communicator."

"Yeah, but it does other things, too. It's got a bunch of games on it, a clock, a calendar, a calculator, a global positioning system—"

"Can you use that to find Emerald?"

"No, it only tells us where _we_ are, not other people."

"Dang."

Pearl and Amethyst came through the temple door to find Garnet overseeing Steven and Ten. The two were sitting on the stools at the kitchen counter while Garnet watched from a reasonable distance: far enough to give them privacy, but close enough that she could come to the rescue if needed.

"How are they doing?" Pearl whispered.

"Very well." Garnet looked pleased. "Ten has made remarkable progress in a very short amount of time, or at the very least is having a lull in her episodes. Steven doesn't seem nervous around her anymore and I haven't seen any dangerous visions today. They're getting along fabulously."

"That's good to hear. Should we start thinking about a place for her among the Crystal Gems?"

"Hold up," Amethyst whispered, "it's still 3-2. That's barely a majority."

"Actually," said Garnet, raising her left hand and flashing her gem, "Ruby changed her mind. It's 4-1 now."

"Ruby, you shill!"

"But even with a 4-1 split," continued Garnet, "I'm hesitant about allowing her a place among us. She's doing better, true, but she still has problems with self-control."

There was a loud smashing sound, causing them all to turn. Ten was standing up and stomping on her phone. "Stupid pigs! I'll show you!"

Steven was pulling on her arm. "Calm down, Ten! It's just a game!"

Pearl nodded to Garnet. "It is certainly true that she has a long way to go in that regard, but we're training Steven to fight like a Crystal Gem and he's part human, so it's not out of the question that we do the same thing with Ten."

"Except Steven started without all the baggage," Amethyst pointed out. "We just have to teach him right. With Ten, there's like a thousand things we would have to un-teach her."

"Well, you're not wrong," Pearl begrudgingly admitted. "That is going to be a project. She would need to be both willing and able to forget large chunks of her fighting history, change her style, her targeting—she needs to stop aiming for gems during combat."

"Combat training wouldn't be a bad idea," Garnet said. "You can see how she fights and instruct her at the same time."

"I know you're talking to Pearl," said Amethyst, "but just in case, I'ma say 'count me out.'"

"That's fine. With how you've been treating her, I wouldn't want to put you up against her."

"Pfft, whatever."

"I shouldn't refer to it as 'combat training,'" Pearl thought aloud. "She's fought at least as much as I have. It might come off as condescending."

"Call it whatever you want," said Garnet, "so long as you get your point across."

"Yeah, and don't let her get HER point across, if you know what I mean," said Amethyst, poking Pearl in the ribs with her fingers. "Because she stabbed you with her sword, see? Remember when she did that?"

"Yes," said Pearl, fending off the poking in irritation. "Just stay here and out of the way."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Pearl brushed herself off, cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and approached Steven and Ten.

"You can buy more of those hammers if you run into a stage you can't beat," Steven was saying as she approached. "Just try not to do it too much. It's my dad's money, not mine. Hey, Pearl. What's up?"

"I was just coming over to see if Ten wanted to have a, uh…" she searched her head for the right term: training lesson, practice match, duel— "…sparring session! A good old sparring session." She clasped her hands in front of her and smiled self-consciously.

"Huh?" said Ten, then a flush spread across her face. "I see. A pride battle; I ambushed you and you didn't get a chance to fight back, so you want an even match, is that it?"

"Uh…" Pearl looked like she had walked into a trap.

Ten gave her a broad, toothy smile. "I don't mind, I promise. It's the least I could do for the vote of confidence you gave me. I'll help you lick your wounded ego." She laughed and gave Pearl a hearty slap on the back that almost buckled the thin gem's knees.

"Oh! Are we gonna use the sky arena for your pride battle?" asked Steven, jumping from his chair.

"It's not a pride battle," Pearl said, straightening herself out.

"Of course it isn't," said Ten. Then she leaned toward Steven and whispered, "that's the pride talking," causing him to laugh.

"Ugh, just wait here while I get ready." Pearl went to her room through the temple door.

"I can see why Amethyst likes to have fun at her expense," she said as the temple door closed. Then she frowned. "Though she should pick her timing better."

Steven shrugged. "Then she wouldn't be Amethyst. She takes things seriously when she needs to."

"I hope she does." Ten lapsed into thought about the Emeralds, as she had done on and off for the past two weeks. She had been staying out of the beach house mostly, per Garnet's request, only coming in every few days to interact with Steven and the Crystal Gems. There had so far been no sign of the Emeralds or their ships and Peridot had promised that she would focus her efforts on fixing her surveillance system, but that didn't settle Ten's nerves. She kept an eye on the warp pad when no one else was around, just in case.

Pearl returned from her room with two swords and beckoned the two of them to join her on the crystal plinth. She let Steven have the honor of warping them to the sky arena.

"We'll fight with these today," she said as they took their places on the arena floor.

"Today?" said Ten.

Pearl continued as if she hadn't heard. She tossed one of the swords to Ten and pulled the other out of its scabbard to show off its edge. "I hope you don't mind that I went with a pair of dull blades. I see no reason to harm one another, though I would still suggest caution: we don't want any accidental shattering."

"I'm not sure I could if I wanted to," said Ten, examining the one in her hand. "Calling it 'dull' is an understatement. The blade doesn't even taper. This would probably chip a gem at best. A glancing blow would barely leave a mark."

"I've already been on the receiving end and can assure you that you swing like a gorilla. There's more than enough force in your arm to do some damage."

Ten frowned. "I don't know what a gorilla is, but I'm pretty sure that isn't a compliment."

Pearl made a noncommittal noise and bent over, projecting a light from her head into the air in front of her. Steven instinctively clutched at his legs as Holo-Pearl appeared, a ghostly silhouette that resembled Pearl in nearly every way save for vacant, pupil-less eyes, a transparent blue-and-white body, and a mouth that Steven found slightly creepy in its inability to match the words it spoke.

"DO YOU WISH TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT?" it asked in an eager voice.

"She does," said Pearl, handing the Holo-Pearl her sword. "Set difficulty to maximum."

"COMMENCING DUEL," it said, its eyes turning red as it took an aggressive stance.

"I kind of thought you were gonna fight me yourself, but okay," said Ten. She pointed to her sword. "Can I use my shield with this thing, or is that not allowed?"

Pearl turned away and walked toward the stairs to sit with Steven as Holo-Pearl charged. "Knock yourself out, Ten, just so long as you win the—"

"MATCH SET: CHALLENGER WINS!"

"What?!" Pearl squawked, turning in time to catch the sword that was coming at her, knocked out of Holo-Pearl's hand. Or rather, it looked like her hand had been cut clean off, and a sword was going clear through Holo-Pearl's head. Ten was in a relatively relaxed sideways stance, her sword held out in such a way that if it weren't passing clean through Holo-Pearl, it would look like she was merely pointing to something in the distance.

"Well gee, that was easy," said Ten, sounding both surprised and disappointed.

"That was awesome!" said Steven, bouncing in his seat. "You were so fast I could barely keep up."

"Aw, you're just saying that," said Ten, blushing. "I'm nowhere near as fast as One was."

"Really?"

"Ten," said Pearl, exasperated, "you can't just aim directly for the gem on your opponents like that."

"Seems to have worked alright for me, eh?" She emphasized this by pulling her sword free of the Holo-Pearl, causing it to break into thousands of fragments of light and vanish.

Pearl slapped her palm to her face. "No, Ten. What I mean is we, the Crystal Gems, do not aim to shatter our opponents."

"What? Yeah you do. I heard the reports from the rebellion. Gems were shattered, warriors and dignitaries alike. You even tried to assassinate Blue Diamond."

"Those were very different times, Ten. Things have changed. Back then it was necessary to protect the Earth, but the Earth isn't in danger anymore, at least not immediately. Most of our friends and enemies were corrupted by the Diamonds. Instead of shattering them, we keep their gems until we can find a way to cleanse their corruption."

"Well, the Emeralds aren't corrupted, they're just monsters. Are you not going to shatter them either?" Ten asked with a mocking tone.

"It's always a remote possibility," said Pearl, "but it is just that: remote. The Earth comes first in our minds, but we will not shatter anyone, even an Emerald or a Diamond, unless we have no other choice."'

"That is an extremely foolhardy stance to take. And what will you do? Imprison them?"

Pearl nodded. "More or less."

This answer only served to annoy Ten. "And if they break loose?

"They can't break loose." She glanced sideways at Steven. "Only if someone helps them. The bubble keeps them from reforming."

"Bubble?" Ten grew tired of holding her sword up and placed it point first on the ground, leaning on it as she spoke. "I think I saw one of those. That was that pink-y thing that Garnet made when she came back that first night, right? It stops gems from reforming?"

"Pink-y thing?" Pearl repeated. "You talk about it like you don't know what it is."

"That's probably because I _don't_ know what it is."

"What?" Pearl looked taken aback. "It's a Rose Quartz bubble. How do you not know about bubbles?"

Ten looked interested at that. "Oh? That's pretty cool. I didn't know we could do that."

"Didn't know?" Pearl looked hopelessly confused. "But I was taught everything I needed to know when I was created. Did they stop doing that at some point?"

Ten shrugged. "Maybe. Or they just don't teach Rose Quartzes. You're a Pearl, so a certain level of functionality is expected out of you to properly serve. Us? We just gotta swing things generally in the right direction. I only learned that we worked well with organics when Zircon had need of it."

"So you probably don't know anything about Lion either, huh?" said Steven.

"What's Lion?"

"A Lion."

"Not this again."

"Alright, that's enough chatter," said Pearl, stepping into the arena herself. "I should have known my hologram would be no match for you. Even Connie can take several at once with no issue. I guess that means it's down to you and me."

"Oh, finally," said Ten, hoisting her sword again. "I'll go easy on you to start."

"Please don't," said Pearl, positioning herself in a graceful yet dangerous stance. "I won't be going easy on you so the least you can do is return the favor."

Ten shrugged, a cocky smile crossing her face. "Hey, if you insist."

"Steven? Would you call the start?"

"Sure thing, Pearl." He stood up on his seat, cupped his hands, and shouted an announcement to the empty and broken stadium. "Now the fight we've all be waiting for: Pearl versus Ten! The ballerina of the blade versus the crash-landed calamity, the terrestrial traveler versus the rover from up over, the lethal lilac versus the rumbling rose, the amazing—"

"Steven!" they both shouted.

"Right, sorry. Let's have a good, clean fight. No biting, no hair pulling, no additional gem armaments, and no aiming for your opponent's gem. First hit takes the win. Take your positions. Aaaaaaaand… Go!"

Ten and Pearl came at one another in a flash, colliding with a ring of steel on steel, followed swiftly by dozens more as their arms whipped swiftly about, attacks and blocks, parries and ripostes, thrusts and dodges, accompanied by impeccable footwork and all chained together so quickly that Steven wasn't sure what was happening most of the time. In fact, the action was so fast that Steven found it completely lacked tension as one attack melted into another before he could even register whether the first was likely to hit or not. If he were to see an attack moving towards an opening, it would be parried, countered, and the counter blocked and thrown back before he could even open his mouth for a gasp. It was just a whir of colors and motion that soon held no meaning for him, sapping his enthusiasm.

After a moment of nonsensical motion, he began to grow bored and wonder what he was going to do while the fight raged. "I know!" he said to himself. He pulled open his hamburger backpack, pushed aside a few items, and pulled out his ukulele. "Let's get some battle music!" He began with a strong and clear series of opening chords, slow and dramatic to build tension, letting each note linger as he plucked at his little instrument, then suddenly burst into an energetic and rapid flamenco, tapping his feet with the rhythm. As the two gems clashed, their faces masks of concentration, he began to sing:

" _Can you hear me over the ring of steel?_

 _How can you use your sword to tell me how you feel?_

 _A dangerous dance that is unlike any known_

 _One that's danced by few but which is never danced alone!_

 _I'd say your blood is pumping,_

 _But we know that's not true._

 _I'd say your heart is thumping,_

 _But let's ignore that too._

 _You've bodies hard as rock and you've gem hearts that will not yield,_

 _Some prefer their freedom, some prefer the battlefield!"_

Pearl advanced on Ten with a flurry of aggressive blows and sang with him:

" _Remember when advancing_

 _To keep your stance aggressive,_

 _just one step, thrust, and parry;_

 _Don't make your moves excessive"_

Ten pushed Pearl off balance and countered, forcing Pearl to retreat as Ten attacked and sang along:

" _All your poise and grace and balance cannot trump experience_

 _I'll take some time to tell you later once I've broken your defense!"_

Steven picked back up:

" _I'd say your blood is pumping,_

 _But we know that's not true._

 _I'd say your heart is thumping,_

 _But let's ignore that too._

 _You've passion and impatience drawing forth impressive skill_

 _Some know only panic, some indomitable will!"_

They stopped singing, Steven playing an instrumental interlude as the fighters approached. Ten forced Pearl all the way to the stadium seats, but she deftly jumped up onto the bottom row, moving backwards up the stair-like seats with a balance and surety of step honed over thousands of years. Ten leapt up, less graceful but no less agile and accurate of footing. They fought up and down the seats, the distance between them remaining even as they moved up and down in perfect sync. The shorter Pearl, being two rows above, was face to face with the much taller Ten, the two never breaking eye contact as they exchanged vicious attacks and counters.

As they neared the top, Ten thrust, and Pearl took the opportunity to dodge to the side and move down to the same row of seats as Ten. They both stood with feet firmly planted, their upper bodies writhing back and forth with a quick series of slices, dodges, and blocks, then Pearl slipped under Ten's blade and was two seats below Ten. With their height difference, Pearl now had a huge advantage over Ten, who had to either crouch or hunch over to fight Pearl effectively. Pearl gave Ten a smug smile as they both recognized this advantage, and Ten was none too happy about it.

Sensing things turning against her, Ten bided her time. When Pearl delivered an easily dodged thrust, Ten covered her side with the blade, holding off Pearl's sword, then roared and lashed out with a kick, forcing Pearl to step aside or take a large foot to the face. Taking that brief opening, Ten leapt high over Pearl and came down on the arena floor, rolling on the landing and turning instantly around and raising her sword above her head to block the blow she knew was following. Sure enough, Pearl had leapt after her and their swords clashed again, the heavier Ten forcing Pearl back, tossing her through the air like a doll, though Pearl merely twirled and landed in a crouch, then they dashed at one another once more, meeting at the center of the arena to continue trading blows as Steven continued his song.

" _Women with bodies made of rock and salt_

 _They long to fight though I know that is not their fault_

 _I blame them no more than I'd try to blame their blade,_

 _They only wish to fight 'cause deep down that is how they're made!"_

The two gems joined in with Steven:

" _We'd say our blood is pumping,_

 _But we know that's not true._

 _We'd say our hearts are thumping,_

 _But let's ignore that too."_

Ten's voice cut across Pearl's:

" _Let's hurry up and end this because I am growing bored,"_

She punctuated this with a wild slice toward Pearl's head. Pearl put up her sword to block and sang:

" _Some only face safety, some will have to face—"_

Their swords collided and there was a sudden jarring snap. Pearl's weapon broke in half, the steel sailing halfway across the arena to fall clattering to the ground.

"—my sword!" Pearl cried, her eyes following the sailing shards of her sword and not even noticing in her distraction that Ten had stopped her blade scant inches from Pearl's unprotected head. She dashed away from Ten and knelt over her the broken blade, hesitating to touch it like it was a wounded animal. She picked it up and gently cradled it.

"Uh, sorry about that," said Ten, still standing in the middle of the arena. "I guess I got carried away."

Steven ran over to Pearl and saw tears streaming down her face. "Pearl? Are you okay?"

"Oh," she moaned, "Rose gave me these! They were a matching set of authentic custom-made sixteenth-century Scottish steel broad swords with nickel-plated hilts. She even had a 'P' etched into the pommels."

"I can fix it!" Steven licked his hand, but Pearl grabbed his wrist unexpectedly.

"No, Steven, please don't." She stood up, holding both pieces of her sword. "This sword died a noble death in battle. It would be disrespectful to try and fix it. Besides, it just wouldn't be the same."

He looked puzzled at her refusal. "But if I fix it, it will be exactly the same!"

"Maybe physically it would, but not in spirit. I would know it was broken, and so would the sword. It's served its purpose, Steven, so let's let it rest."

Steven rubbed his spit-covered hand on his shirt. "I guess if that's what you want."

Pearl turned toward Ten. Ten spoke quickly, "Look, I'm really sorry—"

Pearl waved away Ten's apology. "It's fine. I've lost plenty of swords." She wiped the tears off her face. "It's nothing to cry about, really. This sword is just another casualty of battle." She tried to give a smile, but it was strained. "Besides, it's just a sword." Her smile tightened even more with that statement, as if it just added to her pain.

"Uh, do you want to continue the fight?" Ten asked.

"No, it's alright. I've had my fill for now." Ten flipped her sword and offered it to Pearl hilt first. Taking it, Pearl said, "I'd best put this with the others." She looked at its broken twin. "And put this with the others, as well." With that, she turned toward the warp pad and walked away.

Ten watched her go. "Did I screw up again, Steven?" Ten asked glumly.

"I don't think so. She seems to be taking it rather well, for Pearl."

"She'll be fine," came Amethyst's voice. They looked around for her, finally noticing a small purple bird flying down from the surrounding clouds. She shapeshifted back to her normal body and sat down on the lowest row of seats. "Every time one of her swords break it's a tragedy. She's got dozens. She'll get over it."

"Well, I still feel bad about it," said Ten.

"Me too," said Steven.

"Then go check up on her, buddy," said Amethyst. "Perform one of your songs or something to cheer her up."

Steven could tell she was just trying to shoo him away. "Sounds like a great idea," he said, turning and dashing up the stairs, but as soon as he passed through the doorway that led to the warp pad, he ducked around the corner and listened in. After a moment of silence, he heard Ten speak.

"Watching the fight, huh? Still don't trust me?"

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't hurt my friend."

"What's it gonna take with you, Amethyst?

"More than what I've seen so far." She paused a moment. "You didn't have to go easy on her, y'know."

"I did no such thing," Ten said defensively.

"Don't try lying to me again, killer. Jasper was able to beat me and Pearl at the same time. Garnet only barely beat Jasper, and she's a fusion. And Rose was stronger than both Jasper AND Garnet. Quartzes are nothing to mess with. I bet if I wasn't flawed, I'd be about that strong too. Pearl's good, but let's face it, she wouldn't have been able to fight you to a draw if you didn't let her."

Ten walked over to Amethyst and took a seat next to her. "Are you gonna tell her?"

Amethyst sighed. "Nah, she doesn't need to know. She takes fighting way too seriously. I'm not sure how well she'd react it if she found out she was that badly outclassed, but it wouldn't be pretty. What were you going to do if that sword didn't snap?"

"I don't know. I guess I would've hit her eventually and won the match. I definitely wouldn't let her win; I have my pride, too." She put on a lighter, encouraging tone. "She did very well for a Pearl, though. She could definitely win against greener quartzes, though I wouldn't bet on her taking a veteran."

Amethyst nodded. "She _did_ get poofed a lot during the rebellion, so that's not too surprising."

Steven jumped when he heard the warp pad activate and a beam of blue light shot up into the sky. He looked over the edge of the stairs leading down just in time to see Pearl disappear into the warp stream.

"Oh boy," he said. He hurried down the stairs and jumped onto the crystal plinth, willing himself back to the beach house. When he got there, he spied Pearl standing outside, leaning on the railing, her two swords resting on the porch beside her.

"Did you hear Ten and Amethyst talking?" he said, standing at the railing next to her.

"Yes," she said. Then she sighed. "But it wasn't anything I didn't already know."

"Wait, you knew Ten was holding back?"

Pearl nodded. "I could tell almost as soon as we began. Like I said before we started, I've already been on the receiving end of one of her attacks. I know how hard and fast she can strike. Had she fought her hardest from the outset like I asked, the battle would have lasted ten, maybe fifteen seconds at best."

"Don't say that! You could totally take her if you tried. I believe in you, Pearl!"

Pearl patted him on the head. "Thank you Steven, but in the end, I just wasn't made for fighting and she was. So long as the both of us keep fighting, our experiences will make that gap widen more and more. It's good that she will be a friend and ally because I don't think any of us could defeat her alone."

"Even Garnet?"

"Probably not even Garnet. Rubies are one of the weakest warriors and Sapphires aren't made for fighting either, so fused they are barely stronger than a normal Jasper. But who knows? Maybe Sapphire's speed would give her just enough of an advantage…" she trailed off and stared into the sea. When she spoke again, her voice was very subdued. "It is vital that we keep Emerald from gaining control of Ten. If we had absolutely no choice but to fight Ten, _absolutely no choice,_ we could win, but it would cost us. Throw even a single other gem into the equation and suddenly we can't predict the results at all."

Pearl crossed her arms on the railing and rested her chin on them. Steven joined her and, having nothing else to say, the two of them watched the waves roll in as the sun sank somewhere off in the west.


	9. Song: Gem Hearts

**Gem Hearts**

 **Steven:**

 _Can you hear me over the ring of steel?_

 _How can you use your sword to tell me how you feel?_

 _A dangerous dance that is unlike any known_

 _One that's danced by few but which is never danced alone!_

 _I'd say your blood is pumping,_

 _But we know that's not true._

 _I'd say your heart is thumping,_

 _But let's ignore that too._

 _You've bodies hard as rock and you've gem hearts that will not yield,_

 _Some prefer their freedom, some prefer the battlefield!_

 **Pearl:**

 _Remember when advancing_

 _To keep your stance aggressive,_

 _just one step, thrust, and parry;_

 _Don't make your moves excessive_

 **Ten:**

 _All your poise and grace and balance cannot trump experience_

 _I'll take some time to tell you later once I've broken your defense!_

 **Steven:**

 _I'd say your blood is pumping,_

 _But we know that's not true._

 _I'd say your heart is thumping,_

 _But let's ignore that too._

 _You've passion and impatience drawing forth impressive skill_

 _Some know only panic, some indomitable will!_

 _ **(Musical Interlude)**_

 **Steven:**

 _Women with bodies made of rock and salt_

 _They long to fight though I know that is not their fault_

 _I blame them no more than I'd try to blame their blade,_

 _They only wish to fight 'cause deep down that is how they're made!_

 **All:**

 _We'd say our blood is pumping,_

 _But we know that's not true._

 _We'd say our hearts are thumping,_

 _But let's ignore that too._

 **Ten:**

 _Let's hurry up and end this because I am growing bored,_

 **Pearl:**

 _Some only face safety, some will have to face—_

 **Pearl (Off-beat):**

My sword!


	10. Lion and Lapis

"Do you know about this?" Steven engulfed himself in his protective bubble.

"Yeah, but it's not nearly as strong as the shield," said Ten. "It's hardly useful in a real battle."

"Well, what about this?" He took off one of his sandals and bubbled it.

"I saw Garnet do that and Pearl explained it to me, so I guess I do now."

"And this?" He tapped the bubble, sending it to the temple. After a moment of looking proud, his smile vanished and he looked down at his one naked foot. "Aw, man."

Ten laughed as he sat and pulled off his other sandal, throwing it near his bed. "That sends it to your temple, right? That shouldn't be too hard to learn."

"Cool. Do you know anything about this?" He lifted his shirt, grabbing a handful of flesh along with the gem on his belly.

Ten shook her head. "Sorry, Steven. I don't have any idea how you happened. I've never heard of any sort of gem-organic hybrid before. Not that I'm the most knowledgeable of gems out there."

Steven shrugged. "I wasn't getting my hopes up. Even Peridot has no idea what I am exactly, and she knows loads of stuff about Gem society." He tapped his chin in thought. "What else can I ask you about?" He stood in thought for a few moments before he heard a sudden scratching at the door. They both turned to see Lion standing there, his deep pink fur stark against the clear blue sky.

"Lion!" Steven ran to open the door for him. "This is great! I've been waiting to show you to Ten." Lion plodded into the beach house and sidled up against Steven, then curled up on the floor near the couch.

"So this is Lion? What is he? Besides a lion," she added quickly, before he could use that joke again.

"I don't know what he is, but he definitely belonged to mom. I was hoping maybe you could tell me something about him."

"I don't know anything off the top of my head, but I can take a look at him, see if I notice anything." She knelt next to Lion. "Hey, boy," she said, offering her hand. Lion opened one eye, lifted his head to sniff lightly at her hand, then closed his eye and put his head back down.

"Aw," said Steven, "I thought he'd be more interested in you because you're a Rose Quartz. I guess he doesn't care."

"He's a cutie," said Ten, causing Lion's ears to twitch. A smile spread across her face. She rubbed his side roughly, partly to feel his soft fur, party to tease him. He lifted his head slightly and gave her a look that was as close to a frown as Lion's face could manage.

"He seems pretty solid. Sit up, you." At that, Lion stretched and yawned, sitting on his hind legs and staring at Ten with indifference, as if he had just decided just now that he wanted to sit up and her demands had nothing to do with it. "He's pretty smart, too." She reached deep into his milky pink mane and scratched him around the throat and chin, and this he unabashedly enjoyed, turning and pushing his head into her hand. "I was right. He is definitely a cutie."

"Well y _eah_ ," said Steven, joining in the scratching. "Can you tell me something I don't know?"

"Well, he's just bursting with gem energy," she said. "Or at least Rose Quartz energy. Rose put some of her very essence into this creature, which is why it is so strong and smart. And magical, if the things you've told me are true. I'm not sure how much of her essence is here, though. I can't really get a good feel."

"So it's like part of mom is in Lion?" Steven said in wonderment.

"Not exactly," said Ten gingerly. "I don't want you to think Rose is gonna pop out of this creature or something like that. But Lion wouldn't be moving around without her energy, so there is that."

Steven jumped onto Lion's back, using both hands to scratch his sides. "'Wouldn't be moving around?' Like he'd be too tired?"

"What? No. As in he wouldn't exist."

"Huh?" Steven stopped scratching. "What do you mean?"

"You know, because he's a construct. Without her energy he would just stop."

"A construct? What's a construct?"

"You know, a created creature. Your mom made Lion, so he's a construct."

"Whoa!" Steven pushed himself off of Lion. "Mom _made_ Lion?"

"Well, yeah. Didn't you realize that?" She looked genuinely surprised that he didn't know that. "He's a bright pink thing that resembles an Earth creature but with gem powers."

"So am I!" said Steven. "Though I'm only slightly pink. Am I a construct too?"

"I have no idea what you are, but you're definitely not a construct."

"Are gems constructs?"

"We're similar, but we're something else as well. As for Lion here, he's fueled solely by gem energy as far as I can tell. It's probably why he was drawn to you in the first place: to be around a Rose Quartz it could draw energy from. That, or because it sensed that you were like its creator. One or the other, I'm sure. Or, heck, both."

"That's kinda cool. So just being around Lion is like feeding him?"

"If you want to think of it that way, sure."

"But if mom created him and he feeds off of Rose Quartz energy, why wasn't he around when I was born? And why did we find him in the middle of the desert?"

"I don't know. Did it seem tired or weak when you found it?"

Steven tried to think back. "Maybe? I remember him laying down and yawning a lot."

"Then he was probably low on energy. Finding you was probably his saving grace." She scratched Lion absently behind the ear. "Ain't you a lucky guy, Lion?"

"Wow… so can you make constructs too?"

Ten shrugged. "Maybe? I still don't have a handle on all of my abilities. I wasn't even aware this was something Rose Quartzes could do. Zircon could do it, though. She used it to mimic and study creatures."

Lion lifted his head suddenly and looked at the door. Steven followed his gaze and saw something move swiftly out of view. "Did you see something, Lion?" Lion yawned and put his head back down. Suspicious, Steven walked to the door, opened it, and stepped outside. He looked around on the porch, down the stairs, and out onto the beach, but didn't see anything. He shrugged and was about to walk back inside when he suddenly thought to look up as well. When he did, he saw a blur of motion on the roof as something hid from view.

"Hey!" he called out. "Who's up there?"

Ten stood sharply. "Is someone out there?"

"I think someone's on the roof."

"Hold on." There was a crash from inside and the sound of wood breaking, then a shout of surprise from above. "You?!"

There was the sound of scuffling, then footsteps approaching Steven from above. Ten leaped off the roof, one of her massive arms wrapped around Lapis Lazuli.

"Lapis?" said Steven in surprise. "What are you doing here? You never come to the beach house. And why were you hiding? You could have just knocked." Then he looked at Ten. "And how did you get up there?"

Ten motioned inside with her head. "You might want to fix that hole I made in the roof. As for you," he shook Lapis, "what do you want?"

"Don't touch me," said Lapis, attempting to pull herself out of Ten's grip. "I can go where I want."

"Well maybe don't go sneaking around on rooftops when we're on the lookout for Emeralds. It won't be my fault if something happens to you."

"Don't threaten me! And let me go." Lapis was starting to fight against Ten with vigor, her eyes growing wider and more panicky the longer she was pinned in place.

"Uh, Ten?" said Steven. "Lapis doesn't do well with being confined. You should let her go."

"Is that so?" said Ten. "Well _I_ don't do well with suspicious people spying on me and avoiding my questions."

"I said let me GO!" Ten was surprised from behind as a massive hand of water stretched from the ocean and wrapped itself around her, pulling her away and off of Lapis. Lapis turned with anger in her eyes. "Let's see how YOU like it!" She made a throwing motion with her hand and the hand of water mimicked it, tossing Ten roughly into the beach and sending a column of sand up into the air before crashing back down in a pile. the only thing still visible of Ten was one of her feet sticking out of the sand mound.

"Lapis!" cried Steven. "I know she was being rude but she's still a friend. You can't go tossing her around like that."

Lapis just looked angry and disgusted. "I knew this would be a waste of time. Forget I was even here." Two spindly wings of water grew from her back and with a single powerful beat, she shot up into the air, quickly putting distance between her and the beach house.

"Lapis, wait!" He looked around, then opened the door to the beach house. "Lion, come on! We have to catch up with Lapis!" Lion didn't seem fond of that idea, grunting and rolling away from him. "Come on, Lion! We have to catch up with her. Something's up with Lapis. Please?"

Lion sighed, but eventually he stood up and walked out the door with Steven. Steven mounted Lion and called down to the beach. "Wait here, Ten. We'll be right back." The only answer he received was a mumbled something from underneath the sand. Lion roared, creating a portal in the air, and took a running leap through it.

In an instant, they went from being in front of the beach house to hundreds of feet in the air. The ocean stretched in front of them and Beach City was growing small behind, the only sounds being the whipping of wind past the ears and the steady beat of watery wings. It took a moment for Steven to get his bearings, but he eventually spotted Lapis off to his left and slightly above.

"Lion?" said Steven, suddenly afraid of the incredible height as they sank. Lion roared again, creating a portal underneath them, and dived into it, firing them out next to Lapis.

"Lapis, wait up! What's wrong?" asked Steven, his voice sinking away before Lion's roar and aerial maneuvering brought them back up to Lapis.

"Go away, Steven," she said, flapping her wings all the harder.

"Stop running away. You do this every time you're upset. I'm just trying to help. You know talking to me will help."

"Well I don't want help this time, Steven. I just want to be alone."

Steven sighed. Between Lapis and Ten, he was getting a lot of emotional backlash lately. Maybe he would go talk to Peridot afterwards to balance things out. "Look, I'm just going to keep following you until you tell me what's wrong. You were acting weird at the barn, too. Is something up with you and Ten?"

"Nothing is 'up' with me and Ten. I've never even met her before." To herself, she added, "I've never met _any_ Rose Quartz before."

"What?" shouted Steven. "I can't hear you, hold on." Looking down at Lion, he said, "Can you get us closer? I can't hear her."

Lion nodded, looked down, and let out a roar, but it was a weak and strangled thing. No portal appeared below them and they continued to fall. "Lion? Lion, what's wrong? Lion?!" Lion twisted in the air and Steven tried to grasp at his mane to hold on, but reacted too late and found himself slipping off and away from Lion. The ocean below was getting closer and closer. "Lion! Lapis!"

Lapis turned in the air and, seeing the pair falling, dived down towards them. She quickly caught up to Steven and grabbed him, bringing him to a stop. "Steven? What were you thinking? That was incredibly reckless!"

"Why are you stopping? You have to catch Lion!"

She looked down. "He's way too heavy. I can't catch him."

"You have to try! Please?"

Lapis sighed. "Alright. For you, I'll try. Hold on tight." They shot downwards, Steven wrapping his arms and legs around her and holding on for dear life. They caught up to Lion only a few hundred feet above the ocean surface. Steven looked downward and quickly wished he hadn't: they were falling directly toward a small island and it was approaching fast. She swooped underneath Lion and grabbed him, beating her wings to raise the three of them back up, but the best she could do was slow them, and not much. "He's too heavy!"

"We have to think of something!" cried Steven.

"There's only two things I can do: fly, and this." With that, a hand of water shot up towards them. It situated itself palm-up below them and fell a bit slower than they did, causing them to land gently on it. Then the hand began to slow its descent, trying not to come down too fast. They had slowed significantly by the time they crashed to the island, splattering the hand and leaving them all sandy, wet, and sore.

Lapis stood to brush herself off, while Steven ran to Lion. "Lion! Are you okay?" Lion gave him a pitiful mew, laying his head back and resting on the sand. "I'm sorry, Lion. You just got back home and I made you come and do this. You're tired, aren't you?" Lion nodded slightly. "Well don't worry. Just stay next to me and you'll be good to go in no time."

"Are you sure he'll recover?" asked Lapis. "Because if he doesn't, I can't fly him back. I could maybe carry him across using water, but it won't be quick."

"I think he'll be fine. At least, if Ten was right about him."

At mention of Ten, Lapis frowned and turned to walk the edge of the island. It was a mere sixty feet across and covered in sand, looking like it was probably completely underwater during high tide. It didn't take her long to circle the island and come back.

"Thanks for saving me and Lion, Lapis. Are you going to stick around?" Steven asked.

"I can't just leave you here with no way to get back," she said testily. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you did this on purpose to trap me here so I would talk to you."

"I wouldn't do this on purpose," he said, waving a hand at the island. He was hurt by the accusation and said it with more anger than he intended.

"That's why I said 'if I didn't know any better.' It sure worked to your advantage either way."

"Advantage? Lion almost died! _I_ almost died. We were falling too fast to—" he paused for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes and put his face in his hands. "I could have floated us down. Oh man, I totally forgot again."

"You could have _floated_ down and you decided to let me catch you instead?!"

"I didn't decide anything! I forgot! I panicked and forgot!" By now Steven and Lapis were both shouting.

"I don't believe you. How can you just forget something like that?"

"I'm still new at this. Excuse me that I haven't had water wings since I was born, okay?"

"Unbelievable. First Ten harasses me, then you chase me even though I told you not to, _then_ you fall and force me to catch you and your stupid pet, and now I'm stuck here waiting for it to recover before I can leave."

"Lion's not stupid! And I didn't force you to do anything. You did it because you're my friend."

"Well sometimes I wonder why I bother being your friend!"

Both of them fell to silence. It took Lapis a moment to realize what she had said, and then her eyes went wide with surprise and horror.

Steven narrowed his eyes. "You know what? Fine. Go fly off somewhere else. You want to be left alone with no friends? Then go. I can't follow you anymore, so now's your chance." He sat roughly against Lion, ignoring the grumbling protest this produced as he crossed his arms and turned his face away from Lapis.

Lapis stood in stunned silence for a moment, her body slumped and defeated. Then she tensed up in anger. "I'm going," was all she said. She turned away and flapped her wings and in seconds was a speck in the sky.

Steven sat there against Lion, arms and legs crossed and eyes closed, a tiny ball of frustration and anger. He listened as the beat of wings got softer and softer, finally disappearing after several minutes. He also listened when the sound returned and grew louder again, until it was right over the island. He heard feet touch down, a soft sigh, and the crunching of wet sand as Lapis walked over, sat down, and leaned against Lion beside him.

They sat that way for a while, the only sounds being the waves crashing on the shore around them and the gentle purr of Lion. "Steven," she said at last, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say what I said. I was just frustrated. You're a valuable friend. You're… you're my _only_ friend."

"The Gems would be your friends if you let them." She didn't have an answer for that. He sighed. "I'm sorry, too. It hurts seeing my friends in distress and I want to do anything to help them. I guess maybe I should just listen to what they need from me instead. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. I'm sorry for being pushy."

They lapsed again into silence. He didn't know how long they would be waiting for Lion, but if he kept himself coiled up like he was, he would wind up with severe cramps. Steven let his body relax, stretching out his legs and resting his arms on Lion, and idly watched a crab make its way up onto the beach.

"Do you know why I came here?" She asked him.

"To Earth?" She nodded. "I remember you said you were visiting for a short time. Were you on vacation or something?"

Lapis laughed at that. "Gems don't exactly do vacation, Steven. No, I was here for something else."

"Something else? What was it?"

Lapis pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. "Rose Quartz."

"You came to Earth for Mom?"

Lapis nodded. "Lapis Lazuli are aristocrat gems. While we're high up in the gem hierarchy, we're still subject to the whims of the Diamonds, probably more so than other gems. We have freedom in a vague sense of the word, but when the Diamonds give an order, it is expected to be followed without question and without delay. It was smothering, to say the least."

Steve thought of the corrupted Centipeetles, of the Cluster, and of Ten. "And if they're Diamond orders, they were probably nothing good."

"Usually not, no. I felt helpless for my entire existence, felt like there was no escape from the misery that being an aristocratic gem can be. I resigned myself into never knowing real freedom or happiness." She smiled ever so slightly into her knees. "I then I heard about _her_. About Rose Quartz. She was defying the Diamond Authority and her place in the gem hierarchy in ways I didn't think were possible. It gave me a sense of hope, but it also terrified me beyond anything you can imagine. While I wanted to have freedom, I also didn't want to leave the Gempire. So I decided I was just going to visit Earth for a short time to see this infamous Rose Quartz. I just needed a glimpse of her, a glimmer of what it was to be truly free, and I knew I would be happy to continue existing as I had, knowing what real freedom was.

"And that's when I got caught and my physical form was destabilized and, well, you know how it goes from there." She shrugged in a resigned fashion. "I never did get to meet Rose Quartz in the end."

Steven considered what she said. "But then why did you fly back to Homeworld when I fixed your gem? Not only were free, but you didn't even get the one thing you came here for."

"As strange as it sounds, I didn't even realize I was free." She waved a hand when Steven made to speak. "I don't mean being free from the mirror. I mean being free from that _life_. The Diamonds do a great job of drilling into our heads that we are a part of gem society and our only purpose is to serve them, so even when I had a chance to escape it all, I went flying right back out of habit more than anything. Look at all the trouble THAT caused.

"Honestly, I'd given up on most of that before I saw Ten." This caused Steven to sit up and pay close attention. "It's like that term I've heard here on Earth: star-struck. It wasn't _the_ Rose Quartz, but it was close enough in my mind. I thought maybe she was like the one I'd heard about, but…" She rubbed her arm absently where Ten had restrained her. "In the end, Ten acts just like every other quartz soldier, all suspicion and anger and violence. I was looking for someone who was different, but Ten is no different."

"But she is different," Steven insisted. "She's been fighting against gem society for thousands of years. You can't get much different from that."

She gave him a rueful smile. "Steven, I don't want to fight the Gempire. If anything, I want to be part of it again. It's just that I know if I'm part of the Gempire, I won't have the freedom I want and they won't keep my friend Steven safe." They shared a smile, though her features soon clouded over once again. "The Gempire is great Steven, just not so great for me. I wish it was.

"But now instead of being stuck in my assigned caste, I'm stuck on this planet. On this island, specifically."

"Yeah, sorry about that," said Steven. "I wish Lion was better already so we could get going, but he—Whoa!" He rolled back into the sand as Lion stood up behind him, yawned, and stretched. Steven jumped up and threw his arms around Lion's neck. "Lion! You're okay! Alright! Now we can go back home!"

"That's great. You go on ahead. I think I'll stay here for a bit, spend some time alone."

"If that's what you want," he said pointedly, "then, as your friend, I will listen to your request."

She laughed. "Thanks, Steven."

* * *

"And that was the end of our island adventure," said Steven, putting down his can of soda.

"A fine story, Steven," said Garnet.

"It's nice that you got to spend some time with Lapis," said Pearl.

"You gotta remember to float so you don't get pancaked next time, man," said Amethyst.

Ten shook her head. "One part of your story doesn't make sense, though."

"What's that?"

"Constructs can last for up to twenty years without refilling their energy. There's no way Lion got tired after being separated from you for a week and then doing a bit of light magic."

"What?" said Steven. He looked out the window where Lion was watching the exchange from the porch. "But he totally collapsed. Are you trying to tell me he was faking it the whole time?"

Ten nodded. "Definitely."

Steven stood up. "Lion, get over here!" At that, Lion bolted from the window, jumped down onto the beach, and sprinted towards the town, a flustered Steven following behind, shouting for him to stop.


	11. The Pack

Ten looked over the kitchen counter towards the loft where Steven lay curled under his blanket. "Is it corruption?" she asked, concern clear in her voice.

The others exchanged looks. Ten had shown an immediate and powerful distaste for the idea of corruption, bordering on fear, since she had first laid eyes on the corrupted gem that had pulled itself out of the ocean some days before. Corruption was something new to her, but whether it was a Rose Quartz's innate affinity for living things or a warrior's natural wariness, she had taken no time in recognizing it as something abhorrent.

"No," assured Pearl, "it's not corruption. Steven is just sick."

"Sick?"

"He is organic after all. Surely you've handled sick animals before?"

"Once or twice. Humans can get sick? More importantly, human-gem hybrids can get sick?"

"Evidently. He doesn't get sick often. Chalk it up to being a young and healthy boy."

Ten stared at the lump on the bed, turning as it tried to sleep. "And we're _sure_ it's not corruption?"

"I think it unlikely Steven can become corrupted," said Garnet. "His human half would prevent that, or at least slow it down enough where he can heal himself."

"And it's not contagious, right?"

"We've been handling corrupted gems for thousands of years, so if it is, it's not very. Besides, Steven is getting closer to being able to cure it completely with his powers. Or so we hope."

"Huh." Ten looked around for something, grabbing a nearby dish and smashing it on the counter.

"What are you doing?!" cried Pearl.

"Trying to test my healing powers," Ten said. She licked her hand and smeared the spit on the plate.

"You and Steven, I swear," Pearl said, exasperated. "Can't you tear a piece of cloth or something?"

Ten poked at the bits of shattered plate and grunted in defeat. "Guess I can't do it."

"Rose used her tears, not her spit," offered Garnet. "Steven is unique in that."

"Oh, well, I've shed enough of those to know they don't do squat for me. See?" Her eyes immediately began tearing up. She tilted her head and blinked rapidly, knocking loose a single drop onto the plate. As she expected, nothing happened.

"What, you can just cry on command?" said Amethyst from the fridge.

"Plenty of memories to choose from," said Ten, and left it at that.

"Anyway," said Amethyst, giving Ten an sidelong look before turning away, "what's the mission today? Hunting Jasper? Hunting Emeralds? Hunting some other gem I don't know about?"

"Eh, number three is the closest," said Garnet. "We've got cluster gems on the loose that need to be taken care of. They're a few miles south of the primary kindergarten, so they probably escaped from there at some point. We need to clear them out, bubble them up, and check again to make sure the kindergarten is clean."

"Again?" Amethyst sighed. "How do we keep missing these guys?"

"Well, judging by the size of the Cluster—" Pearl began.

"Yeah, yeah, I know how," Amethyst interrupted. "I just want to know _how_ , y'know _?_ "

Pearl looked confused. "Apparently I don't know."

"Can I come too," asked Ten, then added, half in jest, "or am I still on probation?"

"Hmm," said Garnet. "Give me a moment to see." She turned away and stared off at nothing.

"Ooh, she's doing that future-vision stuff again!" said Ten, excited. "That's Sapphire, right?" Pearl nodded. "I wish I could do that. Could you imagine how awesome that would be in battle?"

"It's pretty awesome," said Garnet. She looked at Ten. "I don't think you should come along."

"Aw, still?" Her shoulders sank. "Why this time?"

"The same as every time," said Garnet, annoyance creeping into her voice, "you go too far and one of the cluster gems gets shattered. In the heat of battle you forget that some of those who were corrupted or clustered are old friends and allies of ours. Casualties, even accidental ones, are unacceptable."

Ten huffed. "Be straight with me, Garnet: what would you say the chances of me shattering one of those gems is, all possible futures considered?"

Garnet frowned a moment, but fell silent as she thought. "Looking at all possible futures is ludicrous, but if I only consider the most likely ones, I'd guess somewhere between fifteen and twenty-five percent."

Ten's eyes went wide. "Twenty-five percent?! You're going to make me stay back over that? That's practically nothing. Although," she admitted, "it is lower than I expected."

"Even fifteen percent is astronomically high compared to our standard chances. With me, Pearl, and Amethyst together, no reasonably likely futures hold any shatterings. And before you ask," said Garnet, sensing Ten's next argument, "yes, there are always potential futures where a shattering occurs, but over five thousand years, I can count the instances where those have come to pass on a single hand."

"You've got to give me a chance eventually," said Ten, frustration mounting in her voice. "I can't sit around here forever. I want to help. I want to be a Crystal Gem."

"We should consider giving her a chance," said Pearl.

"And what if she loses focus? What if someone is shattered? What if, one day, Steven or someone else can cure this corruption and we know exactly who is missing and can trace their final moments back to this exact event?" Garnet's fists balled up, her own frustration becoming apparent as well. "Losing even one more gem that we don't have to is a tragedy that we can easily avoid."

"And when will that percentage be low enough for you?" asked Ten.

"Maybe in a few years. Maybe never."

"Never?!"

"Garnet," Pearl implored, "ever since the corruption appeared, there have only been a handful of us. We don't have the strength to withstand any serious attack on Earth, and now that the Diamond Authority knows about our existence and continued defiance, we can expect one to come sometime soon. We need all the help we can get."

"But what if something goes wrong?" asked Garnet. Her voice startled Pearl, filled as it was with an uncertainty that was so rare for Garnet.

Amethyst spoke up. "And what are we going to do? Just NOT make use of Ten? I mean, like her or not, she's made for fighting. If worse comes to worst, we're going to want her fighting with us, whether against the Emeralds or against Homeworld. Either way, if you don't get that leash on her and get her trained, she's gonna wind up shattering somebody."

"Thanks for the support," said Ten, "but can you not talk about me like I'm an animal that needs training?"

Amethyst shrugged. "You're borderline."

"See?" said Pearl. "Even Amethyst supports the idea… in her own way. If we don't start integrating her into the team before the next conflict arises, we might find that it's too late."

Garnet sighed. "Even Amethyst?" She fell to thinking once more, and the others could tell she was peering into the future again. Finally she looked at Ten. "Alright, you can come—"

"Yes!" Ten pumped her arm in victory.

"—on one condition."

"Anything! Just name it."

"You need to give me your word that you won't shatter a single gem, corrupted or otherwise."

"Of course!" Ten said instantly.

Garnet held up a hand. "I wasn't finished. You give your word that you won't shatter any gems. If you do, you will forfeit your chances at being Crystal Gem and agree to leave the Earth immediately, understanding that you are not and never will be welcome back."

All of the other gems reacted with shock. "Yo, Garnet, isn't that a little harsh?" asked Amethyst.

"She is an ally, and mistakes happen," said Pearl. "You and I both have made that exact mistake before."

"I'm well aware," said Garnet, "but those are my terms. Take it or leave it."

Ten's brow furrowed. She looked between the three of them, then her eyes wandered around the room as she lost herself in thought, putting serious consideration into her decision. She rocked her head as if using it to weigh her choices. "I could wait a little longer," she thought aloud, "but how long will it take? I've spent more than five-thousand years coming here; what's a few more to save myself from getting exiled?" She shook her head. "But what does it matter if I'm not ready to fight? If I'm going to be here, then the last thing I want to be is useless." She struggled for a moment longer, then turned to Garnet. "Okay," she said, deathly serious. "I accept your condition."

"Dang," said Garnet, less than pleased. "That was about fifty-fifty. Looks like I gambled and lost."

"You don't strike me as the gambling type," said Ten, trying to keep the tone light.

"And now you know why." Garnet took a calming breath. "I won't go back on my word. Make sure you do the same."

"I will." She gave Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl each a separate, stony look, solidifying without a word how seriously she took this pledge.

"In that case," said Garnet, turning toward the warp pad, "we've got a mission to complete."

* * *

The kindergarten was quiet. The Crystal Gems did a quick sweep of the area, including the underground control center, but didn't find any corrupted gems. Agreeing that the area was clear, Garnet led them southwards to where she knew the cluster gems to be.

Pearl sidled up to Garnet. Ten was walking a short distance ahead so she kept her voice low. "Are you sure exiling Ten as punishment is the wisest idea? Even if she does shatter someone, we both know it won't have been on purpose."

"She needs to learn control. If she shatters even a single gem, I will consider it the same as killing one of my friends because, for all I know, it is."

Pearl bit back her frustration. "We can't just bring ourselves back to square one, Garnet. Ten gives us more of a fighting chance against whatever Homeworld might throw at us. She could almost certainly defeat Jaspar one-on-one."

"And if Homeworld comes, they won't send a single Jasper. They will attack in force. One gem isn't going to make a difference, even one as powerful and as skilled as Ten is." Garnet looked at the ground as they walked. "We've protected this planet for a long time, Pearl, and I don't intend to stop any time soon, but we both know that if the Diamonds wanted to take it back today, we couldn't stop them. We had millions of comrades before and the rebellion still lasted for hundreds of years and ended in the Diamonds _choosing_ to withdraw, not being forced to. If anything, sending Ten away would probably save her life."

"Jeez, Garnet," said Amethyst from her other side, "I didn't know you could be such a pessimist."

"On the contrary, I find it a realistic possibility. It's one far enough in the future that it passes over the horizon of time, but I don't need future vision to see the obvious: we've angered the Diamonds more than once, and that's more times than they can allow, either as a point of pride or as an unacceptable challenge to their authority. No, I have no love for the Diamonds, but they are smart. They will crush us because they need to maintain order."

"So we're just waiting for doomsday?" asked Amethyst, agitated. "How long have you been sitting on _that_ one?"

"Since Lapis first flew back to Homeworld."

Pearl fidgeted with her sash. "There must be something we can do. We've protected Earth for too long to just let the Diamonds take it back."

"We'll need either a brilliant plan, or a miracle." The other two responded to that with silence. Garnet sighed. "If only Steven could cure the corruption, we would have an entire army to defend the planet with—the same army we had before. But we can't put that kind of pressure on him. He lost his healing powers for months last time he got upset over them. Another delay like that, and he won't be ready in time. Earth's survival will almost certainly rest upon his curing the corruption." With morbid humor, she added, "If it even can be cured."

"You've thought about this a lot, haven't you?" said Pearl.

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't part of why I've been pushing Steven so hard to master his unique abilities." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry. This wasn't something I wanted to weigh you down with yet."

"No, it's fine," said Amethyst. "I think Pearl and I both kind of understood that at some level."

"Even if we wouldn't admit it to ourselves," Pearl agreed.

"So I hope you understand why Ten cannot be allowed to agitate Steven. Had she come any earlier or later, I might have been more lenient on her, but she has picked the absolute worst time to land on Earth. If it is between Ten and the Earth, I'll pick the Earth without hesitation." With a nod, she added, "Just like Rose would."

"Like Rose would," the others parroted in agreement, and no more was said as they made their way south.

* * *

"These things are gross," said Ten, looking over the cliff at the group of corrupted gems below.

"This is new," observed Pearl. "I've never seen corrupted gems and cluster gems mixed together. It's almost like they're moving in a pack." The sixty or so gems below stumbled around in a blind, careless mass. "Why aren't the cluster gems attacking the corrupted gems?"

"Yeah, that is weird. They usually get all hands-y when we run into them," said Amethyst. "Maybe they're smart enough to know that they don't want any part of that corruption?"

"Well, it's not like they're going to tell us," said Garnet. She turned to Ten. "Time to prove yourself. Make sure you keep your word and we won't have a problem."

"Sure thing, boss," said Ten. "If there is one thing I'm good at, it's following orders."

"Alright then." She turned to the other two. "You know what to do. Let's go."

The four of them leapt from the cliff, directly into the midst of the gathered gems below. Each landed on a different gem, poofing them immediately, then followed with an attack at another nearby gem. Before the corrupted and cluster gems had time to react, ten of them had their physical forms destroyed.

Screeches and howls erupted from the corrupted gems while the clusters moaned, and they all charged. It was simple enough for the Crystal Gems, each being highly skilled in combat and working to ensure the safety of their comrades, to run roughshod over even this large a number of guileless, mindless foes. The corrupted gems attacked wildly and were dangerous, but did not work together at all, often crashing into and stumbling over one another in their attempts to attack, leaving them easy targets for the Crystal Gems. The clusters were weak but at least had some semblance of intelligence, even if it was only used to avoid colliding as they fought.

The Crystal Gems aimed for the largest corrupted gems in the initial attack and were quickly cleaning up the weaker ones. Pearl slashed at a roughly man-shaped cluster, cleaving it down the middle, then spun and flipped over a charging bull-like corrupted gem, firing a bolt of energy from her spear down into its back as it passed went, causing it to howl in pain and careen into another corrupted gem.

Amethyst made use of her whips, grabbing a distant gem as it neared Pearl from behind. While she was sure Pearl knew it was there and could handle it, that was no reason to let her have all the fun. Amethyst grabbed another with a second whip, then swung them both together, using them like a giant flail to attack other gems. When they sufficiently battered, she swung her arms in a crossing motion, flinging the two captive gems into one another, poofing them both.

Garnet didn't waste any time being showy. After landing, she dashed towards the biggest cluster gem she could see and punched it right in what she assumed was the face, then grabbed it around the legs, pulled it off balance, and slammed it into the cliff face, leaving its gem to fall to the ground as she raced towards a pair of corrupted gems and slammed them into one another, then punched through both of them.

While all of the Crystal Gems made short work of their foes, Ten fought slowly and deliberately. While she could do just as much damage just as quickly, Garnet's threat hung over her and gave her pause. As such, she moved from foe to foe and examined their body as she kept them at bay, making sure she knew exactly where their gem was and the weakest point of defense. Once she felt sure she knew what she was dealing with, the fight rarely lasted another second as she closed the distance, performed a single, accurate cut, and moved on before she had even heard the telltale puff of air that told her the target was destroyed.

"This is easier than I thought it would be," Ten yelled over the sounds of battle as she slashed upwards and took the head off of a bear-like corrupted gem.

"It's not always this easy," Amethyst yelled back. "These guys are just stupid and weak. Some are a lot more dangerous." She wrapped her whip around another cluster gem and snapped it around, sending it flying towards the last group of cluster gems. It slammed into them, sending all six of them sprawling to the ground. "Maybe we'll get a bigger challenge on your next mission."

"Next mission?" said Ten with a grin. "I like the sound of that."

Pearl was about to join in the conversation when she was distracted by a bright light. "What in the world is that?" she said, spinning and striking another gem in the gut.

"Oh no," said Garnet, looking toward the writing pile of cluster gems. Their bodies were shining and melding into one another, their gems rising and twirling in the air in a twisting mass of light.

"Are they fusing?!" Pearl shouted.

"Are they supposed to do that?" asked Ten.

"They've never fused before," said Amethyst. "This is bad. With that many gems, that thing is gonna be tough."

"I got it," said Garnet, leaping past all of the corrupted gems in her way and heading toward the growing tower of light. She was halfway there when the fusion's form solidified. It was massive; while it had no head, it had eleven arms, six legs and three separate torsos fused at both the top and the bottom, looking like a piece of cloth that had been shredded by an animal's claw. It lashed out and made what could only be called a roar, though it had no visible mouth with which to scream.

Garnet leapt up and landed a punch right in the middle of one of the torsos, then leapt off of that torso to the next, striking that one as well. She pinballed between the torsos, landing devastating punches as she went, and the creature shrieked in pain and anger. Its arms swarmed over its body, and while Garnet was able to escape several of them, there were too many to evade them all. She jumped clear of the monster fusion, nearly making it free when a massive fist struck her in the back, causing her to land ungracefully in a heap.

"Garnet!" Pearl called out. Garnet rolled to her feet, staggering back a step.

"I'll keep it distracted. Clear the rest of these corrupted gems, then form Opal and help me out." With that, she leapt forward again, striking the creature around the legs and dancing back as it lashed out with its arms.

"Let's make this quick, Pearl," said Amethyst. She gave Pearl a look. "Vine dance?"

Pearl smiled. "It's been a while." She raised her arms up, Amethyst's whip snapping out and wrapping around Pearl's middle. Amethyst cracked her whip and Pearl went flying towards the nearest corrupted gem. It barely had time to react before Pearl's spear sank deep into its body. Even as it was poofing, Pearl was being pulled away by the whip towards her next target. Like a bullet, she ricocheted between targets at lightning speed, dispatching them quickly before moving to the next. After little more than a minute, they had knocked out a dozen opponents, leaving only the last two that Ten was engaging.

"That'll do," said Amethyst, swinging Pearl around. Pearl landed on her feet, skidding to a halt. "Now get over here." She placed both hands on her whip and yanked, pulling Pearl toward her. She opened her arms and Pearl hers and they met with a crash of flesh and a flash of light. Their bodies fused, leaving Opal crouching in the spot where they had been.

"Cool," said Ten in wonder as she dispatched the last two corrupted gems. She ran toward the towering cluster fusion as Opal pulled her spear and whip and combined them into her bow.

"Stand clear, Garnet," said Opal, taking aim at the monster Garnet was fighting. Opal examined the creature, her eyes darting from gem to gem: two were on the torso on the right, near the top and middle, one was on the left torso near one of the shoulders, one was on the center torso in the middle, and one was on the knee of one of the legs. No matter how she looked, however, she couldn't spot the sixth gem.

"Garnet, I can't find the sixth gem. I can't fire or I might end up hitting it."

"Alright, give me a minute." She sped around the creature, trying to examine its legs, but it was hard to make sense of all of the movement. She was fairly certain there was no more gems among the legs besides the one. She looked up at the canopy of arms above her and knew it would be an issue trying to examine all of them.

"Ten," she called out. "I need your help trying to find this sixth gem."

"Do you need me running distraction or helping you search?"

"Both, preferably."

"You got it." Ten jumped up on the flat mass where the three torsos met, hoping the gem would be up there hidden from view below, but it was not. She only spent a moment looking, then dashed off towards the arms as hands started crawling all over the place, grasping for her.

"Should I help look as well?" asked Opal.

"Just get ready to fire as soon as we give the word. We'll need to bring this thing down fast." She jumped up in between two of the torsos, squeezing her way between and pushing them apart to search for gems while the hands were distracted. "Ew," she muttered. "It's moist in here."

 _This is stupid_ , Ten thought to herself. _And dangerous. We're trying so hard not to shatter a gem that's already been shattered and reconstructed. What does saving this thing even do? They need to just recognize that even if this thing was their friend, it isn't anymore and they shouldn't feel bad about killing it_.

 _But what about One?_ a voice floated in her head.

 _What?_ She was surprised, only her years of fighting keeping her from stumbling and her discipline keeping her searching. _Emerald?!_

 _No, Ten, it's Steven! s_ aid the voice. _Sorry I scared you. I was sleeping and thought I'd check up on you guys. Wow, that guy looks big._

 _Steven? Thank goodness. But how are you talking to me?_

 _I dunno. It's just a thing I can do, although usually it's dreams or taking control of people's bodies. I'm not used to just watching._

Ten dodged to the side as two hands clapped together where she was standing. She jumped into the crook of an elbow, slicing it there to agitate and distract it. _What were you saying about One?_

 _Oh yeah! Remember when Emerald had control of you and One could have shattered you but she didn't?_

 _Of course I remember. That's not the same, though. I wasn't a cluster gem._

 _No, but One still looked at the Emerald-controlled you and knew that her friend was in there somewhere. That's what Garnet and Pearl feel when they look at these clusters: they see their friends in every one of these creatures._

 _But they don't know! It could just be any random gem in there._

 _Well what if someone took that bag of One's shards you wear and turned them into clusters then let them loose. Would you just willy-nilly destroy clusters knowing any one of them might be a piece of One?_

Ten was silent a moment. _I see your point_ , she thought at him. _I'll try to be careful._

 _Thanks_ , Steven said in her head. _And look out!_ He added quickly. Ten turned in time to see a hand heading her way. She jumped, but it closed around her leg and dragged her down. _Ah! Te—_

—and then Steven's voice was gone as hundreds of miles away he jerked awake.

Another hand reached out and gripped Ten around the middle, hoisting her up and pinning her body, though her sword arm was still free. She struggled, but it was futile trying to break the powerful grip of the gigantic hand.

"Garnet," Opal warned. "Ten's got her hands full over there. Or the other way around. That's not funny, Amethyst. Says you."

"I'm on it," said Garnet, leaping up the creature and drawing closer to Ten.

Ten watched her approach, kicking her feet the few inches she had against the palm of the hand holding her. Though in incredible danger, she felt calm; she had been in situations as dangerous as this before, and Three and Eleven had met their deaths just as calmly, knowing as she did that they were playing their part to protect their comrades as well as they could. If she was going to go, she wanted to go like Eleven, spitting defiantly in this things face, but this thing didn't even have a face. She looked down at the thing holding her. All this thing had was…

…a gem. There, in the webbing between the thumb and forefinger, pressed tightly against the knuckle, and hidden from view unless the fingers were splayed. It jutted out, yellow and jagged, a short distance away from her.

She raised her voice and her sword at the same time. "I found the gem!" she shouted, stabbing downwards.

"Ten, don't!" cried Opal, but Ten didn't strike the gem. Her blade sank into the webbing on the hand, cutting easily through the gem's flesh, turning the webbing into a ragged strip, causing the monster to howl in rage. Then she stabbed again, cutting a second time and completely severing the webbing and the gem with it.

With the gem removed, the fusion destabilized. With a deafening blast of air, the bodies separated. They were still in the air when Opal released her arrow. It split and struck each of the cluster gems before they could land and fuse again, and each of their bodies broke down. After the smoke cleared there was nothing left but the sixty scattered gems and four Crystal Gems.

Ten pushed herself off the ground, a little worse for wear, but overall alright. The jagged yellow gem had landed next to her and she picked it up, examining it. There were also pieces of red and green in there, all crammed together and fused at the base. When Garnet approached, she handed it over.

"For a second, I thought you were going to destroy the gem," Garnet said.

Ten gave her a sheepish smile. "I wouldn't want to hurt one of your friends by accident, would I?"

Garnet nodded and smiled. "Right." She bubbled the yellow gem and sent it off to the temple. "You did well. I'm glad we don't have to send you off."

Ten laughed, so relieved to have passed the test that a single tear came to her eye. "I'm glad too."

"Your first mission is a success. Let's finish bubbling these gems, then go home and tell Steven. He'll be thrilled."

* * *

The four gems sent the last of the clustered and corrupted gems away in their Rose Quartz bubbles. Emerald slid her fingers along her view screen, causing it to zoom and focus on each of their faces.

"Looks like you were right," she said. "Put enough of their targets together and they come running right where we want them."

"Predictable," said the other Emerald, peering over her partner's shoulder to look at the screen. "The Pearl, the Amethyst, and the leader the report states calls itself 'Garnet.' But what have we here?" She pointed to Ten. "Both the Lapis Lazuli's and the Jasper's reports indicated that Rose Quartz was no more and only a gem-organic hybrid existed. But here we have a Rose Quartz. Interesting. Do you think their reports in error?"

"Unlikely," said the first Emerald. "Their stories were far too specific and matched too closely for that. I'd say this is a heretofore unknown gem. Is it a newcomer? Or was it here the whole time, remaining hidden?"

"Irrelevant," said the second. "We came here for a singular purpose, but it looks like the mission parameters have expanded. Under Red Diamond's extermination order, we cannot allow that Rose Quartz to exist. We need to accomplish our primary mission first, however. I assume you have already activated the tracking plug?"

"Naturally," said the first with a cold smile. "They're about to lead us right to their command center. From there, it is simple reconnaissance, planning, and execution."

"Agreed." The second Emerald tapped her communicator. "Ship, this is Emerald."

"Yes, Emerald, what is it?" responded the pilot.

"The secondary targets have been confirmed and an additional target verified. Tracking is bringing us en route to the primary target."

"Shall I update the mission logs for you?"

"Yes. And when you're finished, release the Onyxes. Emerald out."


	12. Siege

"Guys, I'm feeling great," Steven said.

"Steven," said Greg, putting on his best dad voice, "your temperature is through the roof, you're barely eating, and when you first saw me, you called me 'Pearl.' How do you even confuse me for Pearl? It's like a foot-and-a-half difference around the middle."

"No, see? I'm standing up. Am I standing up?"

"No, you're not." Greg turned to the Gems. "Thanks for calling me, guys. I'll take care of him from here. How did he even get this sick?"

"We have no idea," said Pearl. "He hasn't done anything that would expose him to any unusual microbes. He's been spending time with Connie on the boardwalk, so he hasn't gone anywhere or eaten anything new."

"Well, it doesn't help to overthink it," said Greg. "Anyone in this town could have gotten him sick. It doesn't take much."

"But Steven never gets sick."

"Sure he does, just not this badly. You probably just didn't notice the other times because he downplays it so much."

"I think I would have noticed if he was sick."

"Pearl, you're a gem, I'm a human. I'd trust you to spot corruption or whatever because you know what to look for. Humans usually know when other humans are sick. Sometimes they walk around and seem fine, other times, well, they're like this."

"But I'm fine, Garnet," said Steven.

"Pfft, I wish I had that much hair. Go to sleep, kiddo." He watched Steven for a while until he fell into the even breathing of one asleep.

Ten peaked over the edge of the loft. "So is he alright?"

"He'll be fine," said Greg. "If you guys don't mind, I'll crash here for a few days and look after him. He'll be up and around in no more than a week."

Greg walked down from the loft, grabbing his coffee off the table, and looked up at the hole above where he could clearly see the night sky. "You know, letting the air in like that all night probably isn't helping him much. Aren't you going to fix that?"

"That's all Pearl," said Amethyst.

Pearl sighed. "I suppose I should."

"I could just hire a roofer," said Greg. "I've got more than enough cash."

"I'd rather we didn't have a bunch of humans walking through our home," said Garnet. "No offense."

"Hey, I hear ya." He started to take a sip of his coffee when he noticed Ten starting at him. "Uh… hi. You're Ten, right?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Hey. Greg Universe. Steven's told me a bit about you."

"Oh, he has?" She suddenly looked nervous. "Good things, right?"

Greg laughed. "Steven doesn't really say bad things about people."

She looked relieved. "I heard Steven call you his 'dad,' right? And your Rose Quartz his 'mom?'"

"Yep, we're his parents. I understand that it's a bit weird to you gems, but Rose seemed to understand at least."

"Huh," she said. "How did you two make Steven, anyway?"

"Oh, well," he blushed. "Let's just call it 'the human way' and leave it at that, okay?"

"So it wasn't Gem magic?"

"Nope, just the plain old human way." He sipped his coffee.

"That's too bad," she said. "I was hoping you could show me how it was done."

Greg spit out his coffee and had a coughing fit.

"You okay, Greg?" Garnet called from the kitchen.

"Doing great, Garnet," he managed to say between coughs. "This is fantastic coffee."

"Sorry, was that a strange question or something?"

"A bit, yeah."

She kneeled down to match his height. "Do I remind you of her?"

"Wow, you're just full of awkward questions." He tugged at the collar of his t-shirt.

Ten shook her head. "Sorry. I don't know yet what you humans find strange. I have a bad habit of ruining first impressions."

"No, you're doing fine. To answer your question, no, you don't really remind me of her. You're just as big and pink, but that's about it. She was the gentlest person I've ever met, human or gem. She was always laughing and a bit of a tease, but she was rarely not in good spirits. She was also, I dunno… elegant, I guess—I didn't take her for a fighter when I first saw her. There's no doubt you are, though."

"Oh, thanks," said Ten, looking pleased.

"Uh, yeah, sure." He drained the rest of his cup and put it down. "Honestly, if the other gems didn't tell me you were also a Rose Quartz, I probably wouldn't have guessed. Steven sees a lot more gems than I do, so I guess he has an eye for it. Me? I try to avoid getting involved if I can. I wouldn't last five seconds doing half the stuff I've seen him do."

"And less than that on the other half, right?"

Greg laughed. "Yeah, you got that right." He sat down on the couch and Ten took the seat next to him as they continued chatting.

The other gems watched from across the room. "Greg seems to like her enough," Pearl said pointedly.

A broad grin spread over Amethyst's face. "Getting jealous again?"

Pearl flushed. "Oh, be quiet, Amethyst. I just mean that he meets another Rose Quartz and he starts cozying up to her right away. It's unseemly."

Amethyst elbowed Garnet. "She's totally jealous."

Garnet nodded, humming in agreement.

Pearl seethed. "You two… I'm being serious!"

"Pearl, chill, okay?" said Amethyst. "He's clearly not in love with Ten. I mean, you remember how he always looked at Rose. Is he looking at Ten that way?"

Pearl huffed. "No, I suppose not. Still—"

"'Still' nothing. He's just getting to know Steven's new friend. That's all it is. So chill. No more of your weird Rose obsession biz."

Before Pearl could respond, there was a loud thump on the door. Everyone in the room turned to see Lion pressing his body against it, causing it to bow inward.

"Whoa, Lion, hold on a sec," said Greg, standing up and heading toward him. "At least let me open the door first." The door was barely open a crack when Lion forced his way through, bowling right over Greg and racing to the loft, standing between Steven's bed and the stairs. He turned, took an aggressive stance, and watched down the stairs, a threatening rumble issuing from his throat.

"What the hey, Lion!" shouted Greg, righting himself. He walked toward the base of the stairs, causing Lion to lower his body like he was going to pounce. "Okay, okay, easy boy," said Greg, backing off. "Uh, guys? A little help?"

"What in the world?" said Pearl. "I've never seen Lion act like this before." She put her hands on her hips. "Lion? Lion, get down here this instant. You're being naughty." She pointed to the ground and tapped her foot. "Come on. Come here. Lion. _Lion_!"

"I don't think that's working," said Garnet.

"He's probably just upset because Steven is sick," said Pearl.

"Well, that's great and all," said Greg, "but I can't take care of Steven with four hundred pounds of magical teeth and claws in the way."

"Should I whip him out of the way or something?" asked Amethyst. "I mean, I could, but I'd kinda feel bad about it."

"Hey, come on," said Ten. "Animal expert here. Did you all forget?" She walked over to the stairs, and though Lion crouched, she didn't slow or show any fear. Soon she was standing in front of Lion, whose aggressive posturing was shown to be a bluff as she reached down and scratched under his chin. For a moment, he growled at her, then slowly his tilted into the scratches. "See? Cutie pie here was just—"

Lion's ears perked up and he pulled his head from Ten's hand. With a roar, he leapt backwards onto Steven's bed, straddling the boy completely.

"Huh, wha?" said Steven groggily, sitting up and getting a face full of soft fur. "Lion? What are you doing on my bed?"

"Ah geez," said Greg, "and now he's woken Steven up."

"Shh!" Ten hissed, holding up her hand. She turned her head, listening. "Do you guys hear that?

"Hear what?" Amethyst turned her head like Ten, but couldn't hear anything.

"It's…" Ten placed her head near the windows in the loft. She punched out, shattering one of them, sending glass shards all over the floor.

"Ten! Those things open, you know!" shouted Pearl.

"Quiet!" whispered Ten harshly. Everyone could hear now, the rhythmic beating of feet on sand, as if several creatures were sprinting across the beach. The sound was deep, as if produced by large, heavy legs.

"What is that?" Garnet muttered. She adjusted her visor and peered into the future. She gasped. "Greg, get away from the door!" she commanded. "Get up near Steven, now!"

"Yes, ma'am," he said immediately, recognizing by the tone that she was not to be disobeyed. He ran up the stairs and skirted around the still-hostile Lion.

"Garnet?" Steven sounded weak and confused. "What is that?"

"Gems, surround the door!" The others did so without question. "Weapons at the ready. Ten, take the front, shield up." Ten moved in front of the others, her Rose Quartz shield in one hand, her sword in the other, crouched and ready to strike. "Do you know what these are?" asked Garnet.

"I think so," said Ten, "though I hope I'm wrong."

The footsteps in the sand grew louder, closing in on the beach house. The gems all watched the door, weapons firmly in hand, waiting. The footsteps were already loud, but only seemed to get louder and more chaotic, an unknown number of legs tearing towards them. Then the sound stopped all at once, and the house was eerily quiet.

The gems stood there, tense and ready, waiting for the telltale thump of feet on wood as whatever was outside started up the stairs, but it didn't come. Lion was staring at the wall as if he could see through it, down towards the beach at some point near where the stairs would be, and growled.

"Everyone hold," Garnet whispered. Being near the coffee table, she reached over and grabbed Greg's mug, reeled back, and tossed it at the screen door, causing it to bounce off with a loud _sprang_ and shatter on the floor.

There was a sound of feet adjusting below. "Get ready."

With a spray of sand, a half-dozen monstrosities leapt into view, seeming to materialize from the very blackness of the night itself. They bounded on four legs, sleek purple-black and covered in jagged crystal edges, all snapping teeth and knife-like claws.

"Onyxes!" shouted Ten, her only word of warning before they hit the house. Four collided with the walls outside causing the wood to buckle inward and splinter, but one burst right through the door and the another the front window. "Protect your gems! They will go right for your gems!" She slammed the first Onyx in the face with her shield, her sword lashing out a moment later, but the Onyx was ready, dancing away from the blade and taking only a small nick on the foreleg. Ten cursed under her breath. She was hoping to quickly decrease their numbers and had lost the chance.

Garnet sprinted past Pearl and Amethyst, intercepting the Onyx by the window. Her gems protected by her gauntlets, she was quick to put herself between the Onyx and her more vulnerable teammates. She delivered a devastating haymaker to the side of the Onyx's head, sending it sprawling into the wall. Even as she dashed forward to deliver another blow, it righted itself and leapt at her, coming right for her head. As she was dashing forward, the only thing she could do to dodge was let her legs collapse under her, sliding under the beast and punching it in the chest as she slid by, knocking it upwards. Amethyst's whip caught it around the neck, dragged it in a wide arc, and slammed it into the ground near the plinth. Pearl was a moment behind, running the dazed Onyx through with her spear, and was rewarded with a burst of air and the tinkling of an Onyx rolling to the floor.

"Hurry and shatter it!" shouted Ten, holding the other Onyx that had broken in at bay as the Onyxes outside started fighting their way through the door and window.

"We don't shatter, Ten!" Garnet said sharply.

"Then bubble it, whatever! They reform quick! Don't give it the chance!"

True to her word, the gem on the floor started shining. Pearl reacted quickly, tapping it and putting it in a bubble even as it began to rise, then tapped it again to send it to the temple. "That's absurd!" said Pearl as she returned to stand with the others. "Its physical form was destroyed only a few seconds ago!"

"Looks like they take my approach to regenerating," said Amethyst. She lashed out with her whip, striking an Onyx in the face and causing it to stumble back from the window.

Garnet walked over to the Onyx that Ten was struggling with and raised her hands overhead, delivering a hammer blow that blasted the creature straight through the floor. It smashed into the earth below and poofed into a cloud of smoke.

"Amethyst!"

"Got it!" Amethyst cracked her whip through the hole, hauling up the gem and bubbling it quickly, then leapt back as three more of the beasts entered the house. The fourth stood outside the door, waiting.

"I can only hold one, but I can hold it as long as you need," said Ten as the Crystal Gems and Onyxes faced off from one another, each side preparing to strike. "Do you guys think you can take two of these things on?"

"We'd better," said Garnet.

"Good. And keep an eye on that one outside. They like the jump in at the least opportune moments."

"Guys," said Steven weakly, crawling from his bed. "I can help too,"

"Lion," said Garnet sharply, not taking her eyes off the Onyxes. Lion seemed to understand, biting the back of Steven's pajamas and hoisting him away from the ledge and tossing him into Greg's arms.

"Good boy, Lion," said Greg shakily, clutching the squirming Steven.

"Dad," Steven said, panting in his efforts to break his grip. "I need to help them."

"You're too sick to fight. You don't even have your gem strength, you're so sick. What can you possibly do?" He pulled Steven to his chest. "We're staying right here, little buddy."

"Now!" shouted Ten. She dashed forward at the Onyx closest to the loft stairs. It opened its mouth to snarl at her, then found Ten's shield was crammed inside. Ten dodged side to side around the shield as the Onyx swatted at her with its massive claws. She attempted in turn to stab it with her sword, but the blade was not only old and worn, it was also not a gem weapon and wasn't doing any real damage against its crystalline skin.

The second Onyx leapt at Ten from the side, but Pearl jumped in the way, forcing the shaft of her spear into the beast's open mouth. It swiped at her and she nimbly danced out of the way, pulling the spear with her and cutting the beast deep across the jaw. It roared in pain and backed off, allowing Pearl a moment to put herself back between it and Ten.

She suddenly felt Amethyst's whip around him middle and was being yanked away just as the Onyx from outside leapt in to catch her from the side. The beast caught the edges of her sash in its jaws, causing Pearl to jerk back momentarily before it ripped, sending her sprawling off balance to the floor.

Garnet had the last Onyx by the jaws and could see all this happening out of the corner of her eye. She knew she could rip this creature's head off right now and poof it, but she could see the terrible potential futures for the dazed Pearl as the Onyxes advanced on her and Amethyst, so instead she spun and hurled the Onyx into its two comrades, knocking them into one another and finally slamming into Ten who, like a mighty rock, took the blow and kept standing, though the crystal protrusions had done visible damage.

"Watch what you're doing, Garnet!" shouted Ten. With a bellow of rage, she pushed the gem she was holding off of her, then spun and grabbed another Onyx by the tail, whipping it into the first. The wall gave way with a crack and both Onyxes were sent through the railing and out onto the sand below.

"There are still four left," said Garnet, leaping back as one of the Onyxes jumped up and snapped at her. "We need to thin them out."

"It's hard enough just keeping everyone alive," said Amethyst. She wrapped her whip around an Onyx's snout and forced its mouth closed. She tried to crush it completely, but the whip wasn't powerful enough to break through the gem's skin.

"There!" shouted Ten, thrusting into the Onyx's exposed side. Instead of dealing a critical blow, however, the blade bounced off a gem protrusion and snapped. "Dang it!" She threw the remains of the sword through the broken wall and attempted to pin the Onyx in with her shield.

Ten looked around. Garnet was grappling with the other Onyx while Pearl tried to strike it between its flailing legs. Ten and Amethyst were merely holding this one at bay, but neither had the gear to destroy one themselves, at least not without shattering its gem directly. Outside, the sounds of the other two Onyxes getting back to their feet and approaching could be clearly heard. If they didn't get rid of at least one more soon, they would be overwhelmed.

"I need a weapon," Ten yelled over all the noise. "Are there any spare weapons?"

"All I got are whips," grunted Amethyst, doing her best to hold the monster's mouth closed.

"I've got one," called out Steven.

"Steven, stay up there!" commanded Pearl.

"No, I'm going to help! Lion, come here." Lion turned immediately and bent his head, anticipating what Steven wanted. His mane glowed a brilliant white and out of it rose a hilt. Steven grasped it and pulled feebly. It budged an inch and stopped. "Can you give me a hand, dad?"

"You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Greg reached forward and they pulled out the sword together. Lion didn't wait for instruction, but took the sword in his mouth and leapt from the loft, landing atop the Onyx that Ten and Amethyst struggled with. With a courtly bow, he presented the sword to Ten.

"Rose's sword?" she whispered in awe. Her battle senses didn't give her the time to examine it: she immediately reached forward and pulled it from the scabbard. Lion leapt back up toward Steven, nursing the cuts it sustained on its feet from the Onyx. Ten swung viciously, the blade cutting clean through the Onyx, bursting its form.

"Now that's more like it! Bubble that," she said to Amethyst, and was gone in a blur. Pearl was still searching for an opening when Ten blew past her, ducking and striking upward into the belly of the second Onyx. Her shield came up as claws struck at her, but they weren't enough to stop her from wrenching her sword free and bursting that Onyx as well.

She turned just in time to see the other two Onyx leap back up onto the patio. They had barely landed when she was charging toward them. The other gems didn't even have time to utter a word of caution before she had sunk her blade into the first, stepped on its neck, then leapt away, using her momentum to completely sever the second in two. She landed on the patio and rolled through the gaping hole in the wall, standing as both of those exploded into clouds of dust as well.

The other occupants in the room gaped. "Holy smokes," said Amethyst as Pearl ran to bubble the Onyxes. "How did you do that?"

"Lots of experience fighting Onyxes. It's actually easier when you don't have to aim for the gems." She pointed at each spot where she had poofed one. "Three-thirty-seven, eight, nine, and three-forty."

"Then why didn't you do that in the first place?!"

"Sorry, but my old sword would never have survived that. This is a really, _really_ good sword."

She stood there, examining the sword, looking regal with her shield in one hand, the sword held steadily in the other, and the wind from the gaping wall jostling her hair and clothing.

Pearl nudged Amethyst slightly, indicating the loft with her head. Amethyst looked up to see Greg staring down at Ten, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. "There's the look," Pearl said, half sullen, half laughing from relief. Amethyst started laughing too, and they clutched onto one another in a giddy fit.

Greg noticed Ten offering Rose's sword up to him. "Greg?" she said softly, questioningly. He found his cheeks warming and moisture building in his eyes. "Greg?" she said again. He shook himself from his reverie, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Whoa, talk about déjà vu," he said, laughing nervously.

"What?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it. And thanks. You really saved our skin." He cleared his throat and gently took the sword from her, then wrestled the scabbard from Lion's mouth, putting the two of them back together. He spent an awkward moment trying to shove it back into Lion's mane but, after seeing that it wouldn't go through, gave up and handed it to Steven, who now seemed to be on the verge of dozing.

"What were those things," he asked the room at large, "and why were they here? What were they after?"

"Me," said Ten. "Those Onyxes must have been sent by Emerald. She knows where we live now. It isn't safe here."

"Oh man," said Greg. "Are we heading back to the barn?"

"That's the safest place for now," said Garnet.

"Hopefully Lapis and Peridot don't mind the intrusion," said Pearl.

"Looks like I need to close up shop for a couple of days," said Greg. "Lemme just run back to my place for some things. Is that cool?"

"Cool," said Garnet, giving him a thumbs up. Turning to the others, she said, "Emerald has made the first move. We need to keep an eye open at all times. We'll need a watch on the perimeter of the barn, especially at night. No one moves alone anymore. We need to—"

"Sorry to interrupt," said Greg, stepping back inside, "but something looks really wrong out here."

Pearl walked out with him, peering over the railing onto the beach. The sun had long since set and she couldn't see a thing. "See those sparkles?" he said helpfully.

"One moment." The gem on her head flared and sent forth a beam of white light. It spilled onto the beach, bouncing every which way as it came into contact with the gem protrusions of a dozen more Onyxes. Her eyes went wide as she swept the beach with her light. There were many, many Onyxes, perhaps as many as forty. Had she a heart, it would have stopped in fright. "Oh no," Greg muttered.

As Pearl's head moved about, she caught a flash of green. She looked back, spotting a figure towering over the Onyxes. She must have been fifteen feet tall, wearing a one-piece spacesuit crafted from overlapping strips of a deep green, spandex-like material, cinched by a belt of shiny white leather. There were diamond-shaped gaps in the ribbons exposing the light-green flesh of her stomach, arms, and legs. She wore white boots and gloves and her head was bald, shining like a sickly moon as it bounced back the light from Pearl's gem. She had no ears, a low-profile nose, and tiny, devious jade eyes. Her mouth, with nearly no lips to speak of, was curled upward in a mocking half-smile. She raised her left hand, the gem on her palm glinting, as if she was merely waving hello. Then she dropped it in a chopping motion, and the horde of Onyxes began charging toward the beach house.

"Everybody run to the warp pad!" Pearl screamed. "NOW!"

The sound of hundreds of feet pounding on the sand outside set everyone in motion immediately. Every hair on Greg's body stood on edge, but he ran up to the loft and grabbed Steven. As he turned to join the others, Lion swept under him and lifted him up onto his back with a yelp. Lion loosed a mighty roar, tearing a portal in the air next to the loft, and leapt through, disappearing along with Steven and Greg.

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Ten dashed toward the plinth, gathering together as quickly as they could. The Onyxes leapt up into view on the patio and swarmed through the gaping mess that was once the façade to the beach house. As the black mass closed the distance like an advancing wall of teeth, the warm blue energy of the warp stream gathered the gems into it, pulling them out of the beach house and toward safety.


	13. Refuge

Garnet smashed the warp pad.

"What are you doing?!" yelped Amethyst.

"They might have been watching the warp stream," Garnet explained with a forced calm. "Even if they know which exit we used, they won't know where it leads. This will keep them from following us here."

Amethyst tsked. "I guess we have to walk here from now on."

The group heard the beat of wings above and turned to see Lapis Lazuli swooping down to land near them, Peridot following close behind on foot.

"What are you all doing here so late?" Lapis asked.

"And why did you destroy the warp pad?" Peridot added.

"We've had a run-in with Emerald," said Garnet. "The temple is no longer safe. Let's get inside and we can talk there."

Lapis and Peridot exchanged surprised looks, but neither protested as the Crystal Gems moved past them towards the barn.

"How did you lose control of the temple?" asked Peridot. "I knew Emeralds were powerful—"

"She had an army of Onyxes." She quickly explained what happened at the beach house.

Peridot nodded as Garnet finished. "That explains the warp pad. Smart move." She looked around at the group, then stopped. "Wait. Where is Steven?"

The Crystal Gems paused. "He was on Lion," said Pearl, worry plain on her face. "They teleported somewhere during the raid. Did they not arrive here?"

"No," said Lapis, eyes wide. "Are you saying Steven is out there somewhere alone?"

"Technically, Greg's with him," said Amethyst, though she didn't even try to sound reassuring.

All six gems exchanged looks, then looked back at the destroyed warp pad. Garnet adjusted her visor. "There's no use worrying about him," she said. "Lion knows how to get here and we can't find them; they could have teleported anywhere." She resumed moving toward the barn at a fast walk. The other gems hurried after her.

"What are we going to do about the temple?" said Pearl, wringing her hands and trying to drag her thoughts away from Steven. "We have a lot of gems and equipment stored there. What if Emerald's control ability can be used to access the temple?"

"Like, she just flips the switch on the Rose Quartz gem to get in?" said Amethyst. "That would be bad."

Garnet shook her head. "The gems in the temple door are artificial so she shouldn't be able to activate the Rose Quartz gem without a proper Rose Quartz. I doubt her powers extend to false gems."

"I can tell you for a fact that Emerald gems don't radiate Rose Quartz power," said Ten. "If the method of opening the door is just straight power emanation, Emerald is out of luck."

"Still," said Pearl, looking off in the direction of Beach City, "we're not far from her. If she sends those creatures out to find us... She certainly has enough of them to perform a wide-area search."

"If we see any Onyxes out by themselves, we need to poof 'em and bubble 'em," said Amethyst, smacking her fist into her palm.

"No," said Garnet and Peridot simultaneously. Garnet motioned for Peridot to continue. "Emeralds are one of the most cunning and intelligent gems in existence," she said. "I have no doubt that she keeps detailed records of where each of her Onyxes go and will know when and where one has gone missing. It is what I would do, and my intellect pales in comparison to an Emerald."

"A rare admission," said Lapis, causing Peridot to give her a dirty look.

"I thought Homeworld was having resource issues," said Pearl. "Emeralds are intelligent, have unique and powerful abilities, are _huge_ … How can the Gempire spare the resources?"

"They can't," said Peridot. "Not anymore, at least. Production started on the Emeralds near the end of the rebellion when the Gempire had more to spare. They are incredibly resource-intensive gems. The first batch of Emeralds had entire kindergartens devoted to them."

"Entire kindergartens?!" said Amethyst. "But that's enough material for thousands of gems!"

"Tens, or even hundreds of thousands with the right conditions," Peridot amended, "all focused on the creation of a single gem. As you can imagine, they were powerful beyond anything short of a Diamond—one assumes, anyway; the Diamonds keep knowledge of their true power nebulous at best." Peridot rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "The only weakness that I can think of is possibly their single-minded pursuit of their goals. The downside to _that_ is that their goal is right there." She hiked a thumb over her shoulder at Ten.

The others looked at Ten, who simply looked exhausted. "They just keep making me run," she grumbled.

"We'll get 'em to stop, Chicken Ten-ders." She offered Ten a fist bump, which Ten half-heartedly accepted.

"You need to work on your nickname game."

"Hey, I got one syllable to work with. Gimme a break."

Lapis spoke up. "You said the first batch were made from entire kindergartens. What about the other batches?"

Peridot gave her an excited grin. "Are you actually interested? Rare admissions, indeed."

Lapis shrugged. "Yeah, it's kinda cool, I guess."

"Well," said Peridot, looking quite self-important all of a sudden, "the Diamonds realized that they simply didn't have the resources to spare for such large, powerful gems and had to cut back. By halving the physical size and being pickier with their abilities, production increased to four per kindergarten. These later Emeralds are quite weak in comparison to the first generation, but they are still powerful by any measure."

"Do we know what generation this Emerald is?" asked Garnet.

"Do we…?" Peridot looked puzzled. She turned to Pearl. "How tall did you say she was?"

"She looked fifteen feet tall," said Pearl, "but the only reference I had were the surrounding Onyxes. She was pretty far away."

Peridot tapped her chin. "That might be first-generation. Truth to tell, I don't know the height parameters of an Emerald, regardless of generation, but fifteen feet is quite impressive. Did you happen to see the other one?" The Crystal Gems all shook their heads. "And the one you knew of, was she larger or smaller than that?"

"Sounds about the same size," said Ten.

"Drat. The only option that tells us nothing."

"Two of them," said Amethyst. "And they can control gems as well." She looked at Pearl and Garnet. "We might be out of our league, here."

"You know it's trouble when even Amethyst can see that," said Ten. No one laughed, and Ten blushed and said no more.

"There are six first-generation and twenty-four second-generation Emeralds in existence," said Peridot. "None have been shattered as far as I know. They each have control of a specific type of gem. I don't know them all, but I'm sure the most common gems like quartzes and spinels have an Emerald. Certainly Rubies. Probably no carbonates, though. Probably a few of the worker classes too, like Pyropes and Bismuths…" She rattled off a few more gems under her breath, trying to complete a mental list.

"Are there any of us that _don't_ have Emeralds?" Pearl specified.

Peridot looked between them. "I doubt there is one for servants like Pearls or aristocrats like Sapphires. Or Lapis Lazulis, for that matter," Lapis couldn't suppress a smile at that. "I don't know about Peridots. My own ego aside—" Lapis outright laughed at that, and Peridot continued with gritted teeth, "—we are engineer-class gems, but no significant threat, so I assume not."

"And knowing Homeworld's hatred of cross-gem fusion," said Garnet with audible disgust, "I'm sure we have no idea what those control powers do to fusions." Peridot made a gesture of futility. "I thought not. Let's hope this second Emerald isn't the one for any of our models."

"That still leaves us with a few question," said Pearl. She reached up to her gem, pulling from it a small, pink bubble. Inside sat a gem of a shape similar to Peridot's own trilliant-cut gem, though this was a ghastly purple-and-black thing.

"Whoa, you _kept_ one of the Onyx gems?" said Amethyst in disbelief.

"Hold on," said Peridot, pushing forward and peering at the gem. She looked quizzically at Garnet, who nodded. "So you _did_ notice. The others?"

"Dunno," said Garnet. "Pearl? Did you notice?"

"Notice what? Is there something strange with the gem?"

"It's corrupted," supplied Peridot.

Pearl rolled her eyes. "Well, _of course_ it's corrupted. Any simpleton can see that. Why do you think I brought it along? You meant besides it being corrupted, right, Garnet?"

"What?!" blurted Ten.

"It's corrupted?" added Amethyst.

Pearl looked at them with genuine surprise. "You didn't notice?"

"No," said Ten coolly. "Apparently I'm lower than a simpleton."

Pearl laughed nervously. "L-Let's just forget I said that."

"Yeah, let's." Ten turned to Garnet and Peridot. "How can you be sure?"

Peridot indicated the gem as she spoke. "The gem is multi-colored in an asymmetrical pattern, mottled, contains unusual colors; I've studied a handful of corrupted gems thanks to my association with the Crystal Gems and I can assure you that this gem has all the necessary criteria. It is no surprise that Pearl and Garnet recognized it right away, though it seems like I gave Amethyst too much credit."

"Harsh, P-body."

"That can't be possible," said Ten. "I've been fighting Onyxes for thousands of years. They can't have all been corrupted."

"That is strange," admitted Peridot, "but the Onyxes I've read about are exactly as those described from your past and from the temple attack: feral, violent, and nearly mindless. It would therefore stand to reason that Onyxes are made this way purposefully. It may be that the kindergarteners who create them are the only ones who know an Onyx's true, uncorrupted form."

"But why? Why would they do this?"

Peridot shrugged. "Who knows? The Diamonds can be cruel at times, but they are also efficient. Perhaps Onyxes are the only gems that can be ordered around when corrupted. Perhaps they are simply created corrupted, or even the source of corruption itself. Or maybe they are just the right combination of destructive and effective to be worth the risk."

Garnet pondered for a moment. "Could the second Emerald be the Onyx Emerald?"

"That is possible," said Peridot, "though I wouldn't assume that the first is the Rose Quartz Emerald just yet. You know what they say about making assumptions: don't do it, idiot."

"I don't think that's how it goes," said Amethyst.

"I'm summarizing."

"Shouldn't we be concerned?" piped in Lapis.

"Of course we should," said Pearl. "We have two Emeralds with powers and abilities we aren't even sure of—"

"That's not what I'm talking about. What I mean is that you _saw_ Emerald, right?"

"Right," said Pearl in a tone that suggested she wasn't sure where this was going.

"So she was certainly close enough to see all of you, then?"

"That makes sense, sure."

"Okay. Then it also makes sense that any one of you could be under Emerald's control right now."

"Hey, yeah!" said Amethyst, looking at the others. "Any one of you could be working for her right now!"

"Same goes to you, shrimp," said Ten.

"Uh, I think I'd know if I was under someone else's control."

"And that's exactly what you would say if you were under her control."

"Shoot, you're right. That's _totally_ what I'd say!"

"Is there any way to prove we aren't being controlled?" asked Pearl.

"None I can think of," said Ten. "Emerald has complete control once she's in. If she wants to hide that she's in control, she just won't prove that she is and there's nothing we can do."

"I can prove I'm not being used," said Garnet.

Ten looked skeptical. "How?"

"Simple." With a smirk, she held up her hands palms-out. She began to glow, her two gems swirling apart. Her larger body separated into two smaller ones, splitting apart and drifting down to the ground, hand in hand. The light faded, and in her place stood Ruby and Sapphire.

"Cool," said Ten, kneeling down. "I knew she was two different gems in theory or whatever, but it's weird seeing her split _into_ two different gems."

"Hey," grunted Ruby, "it's not weird! It's perfectly normal and amazing."

"It _is_ quite amazing," said Sapphire, her hand moving softly to Ruby's arm. "A pleasure to meet you, by the way."

"Oh, right. I guess you know me already, but just to be safe: hi, I'm Ten." She offered Sapphire her hand, which the tiny blue gem grasped momentarily with a light giggle. She then shook with Ruby, then stood back up. "So how was Garnet—or you? Wait," she put a hand on her head. "How do I refer to Garnet?"

"You can refer to her as her own person," said Sapphire. "She's more than just the two of us put together."

"Wow, that's so we—" she saw Ruby's eyes narrow, "—eeeeuuunderful. Wonderful, is what I was saying." Ruby seemed to believe her. "Anyway, Garnet was saying she could prove she wasn't being controlled. How?"

"Simple," explained Sapphire. "Emeralds can only control one type of gem, so even if her control of Ruby or myself lets her also control a fusion like Garnet, then splitting apart would free at least one of us." She turned to Ruby. "Ruby, were we under Emerald's control?"

"Nope," said Ruby proudly, hands on her hips. A silence followed during which Sapphire cleared her throat. Ruby looked around. "Uh, what was I supposed to do again?"

"Ask me the same question, silly."

"Haha, right. Sorry, the plan made more sense when we were fused. So Sapphire, was Emerald in control of Garnet?"

"No, she wasn't. Therefore, she also has no control over either of us now."

"If you say so, I believe you," said Ruby, causing Sapphire to laugh.

Peridot nodded while Ruby and Sapphire began to dance together. "Their logic is sound," she said. "Even if Emerald controlled Ruby and thus Garnet—which we still do not know whether that is possible or not—the breaking of their fusion would, at the very least, nullify control over Sapphire. And, if your history is any indication, gems that have their physical forms altered via destabilization sever Emerald's control as well."

Ten stared at Peridot. "How do you even know my story? I've never told you."

Peridot gave her a sly look. "I have my secrets, Ten. Secrets that I shall not divulge."

"Steven told us," said Lapis.

Peridot sighed and shot Lapis a dark look. "Yes, fine, Steven told us."

Ten tsked. "Dang, I thought it was because Emerald was controlling you and slipped up."

"You need to assume that she's smarter than that," said Peridot. "And she apparently can access your memories and abilities, so she should be more than aware of what you've told others. And also: when would she have had the chance to capture me? I never leave this place. Lapis and I have been inside watching TV for the past week."

A newly formed Garnet placed a firm hand on Peridot's shoulder. "Then you've repaired the monitoring station?"

Peridot froze. Sweat beaded on her face. "Uh… I… may have gotten distracted?"

"Peridot." Garnet squeezed her shoulder.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry! It's just, Lapis and I were getting along so well and she wanted to watch Camp Pining Hearts and then we watched five seasons in a row and then we had this idea to use some of the items in the barn to make music and then—"

"Alright," said Garnet, silencing her. "Just please get to work on it again. Do you have all the parts you need for the repairs?"

"No," admitted Peridot, "which I belatedly realize is the excuse I should have gone with."

"It's fine. Just try to get it done soon."

There was a distant rumbling. The Crystal Gems perked up. "Lion?" said Pearl, looking around.

"That was definitely Lion," said Amethyst.

"Strange. That sound was distant, but clear. These hills and trees should have muffled the—oh, there they are." She pointed up moments before Lion landed hard on all fours. He stood for a moment, before collapsing, having taken a high fall from the look of it. Some distance above, Steven was floating downward with Connie clutching him around the middle. "What is Connie doing here?"

"Steven!" called Ten. "What are you doing with Connie?!"

Steven looked to be trying to call back, but they couldn't hear him. The kids floated down slowly, then about forty feet above the ground, they suddenly went into freefall with a scream from Connie. Garnet leapt up, catching them after they had fallen no more than ten feet, and brought them safely down.

Once on the ground, Connie fell to her knees, Rose's sword clutched tightly in her arms, and let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Garnet. Steven was so tired he lost his grip on Lion, then I think he fell asleep on the way down." Sure enough, Steven was snoring softly in Garnet's arms.

"Did Lion take Steven to your place?" Amethyst asked.

"Yeah. I guess he was pretty sick. Mom gave him some medicine that she said would help, but it also made him really drowsy. He and Mr. Universe seemed really excited about something but they weren't making much sense, so—" her eyes went wide. "Mr. Universe! We left him at the house! We need to go get him!"

"It would be better if he stayed there for the night, Connie," said Pearl.

Connie fidgeted with her nightgown. "My parents are going to find that really weird."

"Well, you can explain things when you get back. Lion!" She snapped her fingers for Lion to come to her. He gave her an indignant look and rolled away from her. "I don't know why I keep thinking that is going to work."

"You're sending me back already? I just got here." She tried to give her most eager puppy eyes.

"It's late. You should be in bed. And Steven too; you humans need your sleep. As soon as Lion is feeling better, please take Steven and go back to your home for the night."

"Take Steven? Why? He was in such a hurry to get back here. Is something going on?"

"We're going to be at the barn for a few days. Steven is sick and will be more comfortable in a bed with climate control and hot food."

"I guess that makes sense," said Connie.

"Yeah," Ten added. "Plus we can't send him back to the temple with the warp pad destroyed."

"What?!" shouted Connie.

"And even if it wasn't, the temple's been completely overrun."

"WHAT?!"

"Ten!" Amethyst slugged her in the thigh.

"Ow! What? What did I say?"

"You guys are trying to dump Steven from another fight!" Connie shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at them. "Steven and I have trained incredibly hard for just this sort of thing. You've got to let us fight, too."

"Oh, the little one's a fighter?" Ten was both pleased and amused by this.

"Connie, this is different," said Pearl, short on patience. "We've explained to you before exactly why Steven can't fight against these Emeralds. And since you two insisted on learning to fight together, that means you're out too. Besides, someone needs to take care of Steven and you and your doctor mother are just the people for the job. So once Steven wakes up, take him to your home, and get him feeling better, okay?"

Connie was about to argue, then sighed. "I guess you're right. He can't fight like this. He's going to be really disappointed, though."

"We can live with that," said Garnet.

Connie walked over to Lion, patting his mane. "I know Steven's asleep and you don't normally listen to me, but do you think you can take us to my house?" Lion looked up from where he lay, meeting Connie's eyes. He seemed to consider something, then rolled to his feet. "Thanks, Lion," she said, running to fetch Steven. However, no sooner had she turned away then Lion loosed a mighty roar, tearing a portal open in the air in front of him. "Wait!" said Connie. "We haven't gotten on yet!" Lion leapt through the portal, vanishing into the night as the portal snapped closed behind him.

Connie was rooted for a moment, her hand frozen in the air, still reaching for Lion. Then she turned toward Pearl, a broad smile on her face. "That's too bad. I guess we'll have to stay here now. It's a shame, really, but we have to make the best of our situation."

"You look real broken up about it," said Amethyst, herself stuck between amusement at their predicament and concern for Steven and Connie.

Pearl looked livid. "Do humans still wear lion pelts?"

"Pearl, no."

"And you and Steven didn't teach him to do that, did you?"

"No, ma'am," said Connie. "I've honestly never seen him leave without us before."

Pearl rubbed the bridge of her nose. "We might as well fill Connie and Steven in on the details. But not tonight. You still need to go to sleep. Peridot, do you have something soft they can sleep on?"

"Just the couch, though 'soft' might be generous. You two don't mind sharing, right?"

"Not at all," Connie said, blushing slightly.

"Come on, then," said Garnet, carrying Steven inside with Connie on her heels, "let's find something warm for you two."

The gems watched them go. "Why don't we let the little one fight?" Ten asked.

"Wha? Connie?" said Pearl. "We are not going to let the children in harm's way. They're still too young and inexperienced and the Emeralds are far too dangerous. And besides, One of the Emeralds can control—"

"Steven," Ten cut in. "Yeah, _maybe_. A big maybe. But even if we don't know that, what we _do_ know for certain is, no matter which Emeralds are here, Connie is safe from their effects because she has no gem. If she can fight, then she is the one and only person we can trust in battle."

"That's—" Pearl paused suddenly, surprise on her face, "—actually a good point. That would certainly be a solid advantage, especially if Emerald doesn't see it coming. But it just seems too reckless."

Amethyst said, "Humans don't regenerate. If the Onyxes get a hold of her…"

Ten raised an eyebrow. " _You're_ against it?"

"Hey, I like Connie. And she's Steven's friend. I can't even imagine what seeing her being ripped apart by those crystal dogs would do to him. I mean, you've seen your friends killed and look how messed up it made you."

Ten shrugged. "Fair point. I won't push it, but you should take it as a serious option." She walked toward the barn to join the others inside.

They sat in silence a moment, Pearl in deep thought. "You okay there, Pearl?"

Pearl looked at Amethyst, then Peridot and Lapis. She blushed a little. "Ten might be right."

"What?" said Amethyst, shocked. "Did we switch roles or something here? You, Pearl, are considering letting _Connie_ fight with us?"

"It's not as crazy as it sounds," said Peridot. "Having even one person that you know you can depend on could make all the difference, even if she only acts as a mascot."

"But there is no way that Connie fights and Steven doesn't," said Amethyst.

"There is that," said Pearl. She and Amethyst both looked frustrated.

"Well," said Lapis, "you can either take a risk with Steven and Connie, or you don't. Either way, you're looking at two Emeralds and forty Onyxes versus four to six of you, two of which might come under Emerald's control. No matter what, you're outnumbered big time. Might as well have more of you."

Pearl's shoulders slumped. "You two have no intention of helping, do you?"

"I don't fight," said Lapis, "and I also don't feel like sitting in the brig of an Emerald ship."

"And I _can't_ fight," said Peridot. "What am I going to do? Levitate a counter-weighted fastener at them? Also, I don't want to. I doubt Emerald has any ill intentions for the planet as it has nothing to do with her single-minded mission of destroying Rose Quartzes—if, indeed, it even is the Rose Quartz Emerald. So no, I don't plan on helping." She waved a hand at the barn, "But feel free to stay in the meantime, until you get your temple back."

"Your generosity is overwhelming," said Pearl.

"Though I recognize that as sarcasm, I am going to say 'yes it is,' with an equal or greater amount of sarcasm: yes it is." Peridot turned and strode toward the barn. Lapis Lazuli followed, giving the two gems half of a lazy wave.

Pearl and Amethyst looked at one another. "I haven't even seen Emerald yet, but I one hundred percent hate her," said Amethyst.

Pearl sighed. "Come on, we need to talk to Garnet about Connie and Steven." And they, too, made their way inside.

* * *

The door to the Big Donut opened.

"Mornin'," Sadie called from where she was stocking donuts. "I'll be with you in just—" she turned and froze. Standing before her was a large green gem, stooping to fit under the low ceiling. The gem smiled pleasantly and offered a small wave.

"Hello," she said in a singsong voice, "I'm Emerald. What's your name?"

"Uh, hi. I'm Sadie," she answered cautiously. She couldn't help but remember the last time an unknown gem had come to Beach City in their giant hand-ship. The town had been evacuated and suffered extensive damage. "Can I help you?"

"Yes you can, actually," she said, her large body approaching. She reached into one of the folds of her outfit and pulled something out. She reached toward Sadie, who pulled away instinctively. However, the only thing in her hand was a twenty-dollar bill. "I'm sorry," said Emerald, "I'm new here and am not familiar with your currency system. Garnet said I could procure some foodstuffs here in exchange for this. Is that true?"

"Oh," said Sadie, relaxing, "you're friends with Garnet?"

"And Pearl and Amethyst, yes. I was asked to purchase some provisions and meet them somewhere, but I think they gave me too much credit figuring this all out." She looked upset and slightly bewildered. "Can you help me?"

"Sure," said Sadie. "They usually buy a dozen donuts if they get anything. Here, I know their favorites." She started picking out a few donuts and putting them in a box, then sealed it up and handed it to Emerald.

"Wonderful," said Emerald, looking relieved. "I was afraid I was going to make a mess of this whole excursion. Will this one piece of currency be enough in exchange for this?" She offered the bill to Sadie.

"More than enough. I'll actually have some change for you." She took the twenty and gave Emerald her change.

"Oh, thank you," said Emerald. "You're so honest."

"Aw, I'm just doing my job. So why didn't they send Steven down? He knows what they like."

Emerald looked surprised. "Steven? Is that the boy's name? Oh dear, I've been calling him Sylvite! How embarrassing."

Sadie laughed. "I'm sure it's fine."

"Well, that just leaves me with finding where they said to meet them. I don't suppose you happen to know where that would be, would you? They've completely forgotten to give me directions. I could find them, I'm sure, but it would take a dreadfully long time."

"You mean the beach house?"

"No, darling, that is where I just came from. There is some other place they gather, apparently."

"I'm not sure I know," said Sadie. "Maybe you could try the barn?"

"The barn?"

"Yeah. It's somewhere outside of town. I've heard Steven and Connie talk about it on occasion. I don't know exactly where it is, but I'm sure someone does if you ask around."

"I think I will do just that," said Emerald with a delightful smile. "You have been a most helpful and gracious young woman. I hope you have a wonderful day."

"You too," said Sadie, waving as Emerald turned to leave. "And good luck with your search."

"Oh, my dear," said Emerald with a smile, "I don't need luck."

Emerald stepped outside, turned left, and went around the corner of the Big Donut. A half-dozen Onyxes were waiting for her there. "Go to the ship, get someone to look in the database and find out what a 'barn' is, then search the surrounding countryside for one. Report back to me by the end of the day." The Onyxes snarled and slavered, but they seemed to understand as they turned and raced off across the beach.

"Very good work," said the second Emerald.

"I was afraid after they destroyed the warp pad that their trail would go cold for some days," said the first. "It is fortunate that this appears not to be the case."

"Looks like you were right: watching their broadcast entertainment and observing their speech patterns has had a clear benefit."

"I have no doubt that your plan of threats and violence would have worked as well," said the first.

"Nowhere near this quickly," the other admitted.

"Thank you. I must say, there is just something so satisfying about manipulating others to do what you want. Keeps the hands from getting unnecessarily dirty."

The second chuckled and threw the box of donuts and money into the nearby trash bin. "This is true." They leapt upward, landing on the hill leading to the lighthouse, and looked out over the town. "Their primary position has fallen. We don't know how many more they have, but from their numbers, we can assume not many."

"If I had to guess based on their actions, their disabling the warp pad means that this is the only one remaining, otherwise they would have need of it for a quick escape. Also likely poorly defended, or else they would just destroy whatever came through the warp stream instead. Easy ambush."

"Agreed. If correct, we'll have all of their pitiful forces in one place and we can crush them in one strike, ensuring our target is eliminated."

"Yes," said the first emerald. "We'll wait until the Onyxes report back. Once we have an idea of their defenses and power, we can complete our mission: we shall attack and destroy that hybrid monstrosity, the so-called 'Steven.'"


	14. Trap

Steven awoke slowly, his eyes, puffy from illness and fatigue, opening against the dim light of dawn. He felt like he had barely slept at all. He stared up at a ceiling that took a moment to register as not being part of the beach house. Memories returned slowly of the night before, half-remembered and blurry.

The air on his face was cool, but his body was quite warm. He made to sit up and found a light pressure on his chest. He lifted the blanket and looked down, seeing a brown arm laying across his body. His eyes went wide. He peeled the blanket away and found Connie curled up against him, asleep.

His face flushed a deep red. Carefully, trying not to wake her, he lifted himself off the couch, slipping out from under her arm. She rolled into the place he had vacated, nestling into the warm spot his body had made, and snored softly.

Steven found his heart was hammering and he was sweating slightly. He chalked it up to his illness and turned to make for the ladder down from the barn's loft. He found Pearl seated against the wall, watching.

"Uh, morning," he whispered.

"Good morning," she said. "Is Connie still sleeping?"

"Yeah. How… how long have you been watching?"

"All night," she said, looking slightly embarrassed but also smiling. "You two were adorable."

Steven found his flush deepening until his whole face seemed on fire. "Were we like that all night?"

"No," said Pearl, near laughter. "You were head-to-foot to start. Connie was squirming a lot in her sleep, though she stopped once she snuggled up to you."

"And we're done talking about this," said Steven, jumping quickly over the side of the loft and floating down. He heard Pearl chuckling from above.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Peridot, who was standing right behind him as he landed.

"Not really," he answered honestly out of surprise. "I'm feeling better, but I'm still kind of lightheaded. Should Connie and I be sharing a couch? I don't want to get her sick."

Peridot shrugged. "Learning about human biology would be a poor partitioning of my time. You would know that answer better than I would."

"I guess," he said.

"For what it is worth, Connie did not seem the least put off by your illness. She was more than happy to share a sleep space with you." Peridot cocked her head. "You're turning red again."

"I sure am," said Steven. "I should go talk to Garnet. Oh, and good morning."

"It's alright," said Peridot as Steven walked away.

Garnet, Ten, Amethyst, and Lapis were talking in hushed whispers near the barn door, though in the small space the voices carried easily across the barn so that even Pearl sitting in the loft could follow along.

"…and when I got there," Lapis was saying, "only its shattered gem was left. Morning, Steven." A chorus of good mornings were exchanged.

"What are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"Lapis has just been doing some scouting for us," said Garnet.

"Wow, Lapis, you're helping us?"

"With her ability to fly, she was the logical choice," said Garnet.

"Yeah," said Amethyst, "and she was more than willing after we told her that those Onyxes were liable to hurt you if they found us."

"Isn't that emotional blackmail or something?" he asked.

"Iunno," Amethyst said with a shrug. "Who cares? So long as none of us have to get shattered keeping an eye out for these stupid Onyxes."

"What was that you said about a shattered gem?" he asked Lapis.

If Lapis cared at all about being used, she hid it well as she explained. "It was an Onyx. Long story short, I saw one running across a field and decided to track it. It ran into a forest where I couldn't follow as easily, but then I heard it yelp so I dived in to check it out. Turns out there were a bunch of those mutant gems in the forest and they took care of that Onyx for us."

"How many were there?" asked Garnet.

"I'd say about twenty. It looked like they were trying to hide."

"Hmm," said Garnet. "We need to take care of them."

"Now?" came Pearl's voice from above. "It hardly seems the appropriate time to be hunting cluster gems."

"It's part of our duty as Crystal Gems," said Garnet. "Besides, we can't let those horrid abominations wander loose in the region."

Amethyst and Ten exchanged looks. "Is this a fusion thing, Gar?" asked Amethyst.

"It is our duty," she repeated testily. "Let's get ready and take care of this quickly. The sooner we get back to the safety of the barn, the better."

"Can't this wait until after we take care of the Emeralds and their Onyxes?" asked Ten.

"No. We don't know how long we'll be butting heads with the Emeralds and we can't put everything on hold while we deal with them. Besides, these things live tortured lives. The sooner we bubble them, the better it is for both them and us."

"Can I come too?" The group looked up to see Connie squatting near the ledge of the loft.

"You haven't even eaten breakfast yet." She pointed to a crate off to the side of the barn. "We snuck out last night and took some eggs from a nearby farm. Sorry there's not more variety."

"You didn't _steal_ the eggs, did you?" asked Connie.

"We don't have any money, and you two not starving is more important than a human being short a few eggs."

Steven and Connie exchanged frowns, but said nothing. Garnet was right, but they didn't have to like it. "So you're just leaving us behind again?" asked Steven.

"Steven, can we have just one mission where we don't have this argument?" asked Garnet, exasperated.

"I'm sorry, but when you leave me behind, you make me feel like I'm not part of the team, like you think I'm a liability.

"We don't think you are a liability, Steven. We know you can help, but—"

Amethyst jumped in. "Dude, when's the last time you ate?"

"What?" Steven's stomach made a horrendous gurgling sound. "Now that you mention it, I haven't eaten much in the past two days."

"Then stay here and eat. We're just going to fight cluster gems. We already know you can handle cluster gems, so you're not missing out. You can complain when we try to stop you from going after Emerald, okay?"

Now that he thought about it, fresh eggs were sounding tempting and getting into a sweaty, exhausting fight markedly less so. He turned to Connie and they shrugged at one another. "I guess breakfast doesn't sound so bad," he said.

"Sure, I'll cook," said Connie, climbing down. "It's the least I can do for giving me a place to sleep. I don't suppose you guys have any milk or butter or salt?" Garnet shook her head no. "I'll make do. Don't get into too much trouble," she added, pulling Steven toward the crate of eggs.

Garnet sighed in relief. "Good work, Amethyst."

"Hey, I was getting tired of arguing, too," Amethyst said.

The gems gathered together at the barn door and waved goodbye to Steven, Connie, Lapis, and Peridot, then made their way outside. Garnet pointed them toward where Lapis had indicated in her report, and started moving that way.

They were only a short way from the barn when Ten put a hand on Garnet's shoulder. "You can't protect him forever, Garnet," she said. "If it isn't an Onyx or an Emerald, someone else is going to come to this planet. Armies might come. A Diamond might come. What are you going to protect Steven with then?"

"My life, if I have to," growled Garnet.

"I don't think Steven would like that kind of talk," said Ten.

"He is precious to us and we want to protect him."

"So? Pearl and Amethyst are precious to you, aren't they? I don't see you demanding they stay back."

"It's not the same. They're warriors—"

"Pearl wasn't made a warrior, and look at her now." Pearl was pleased at the compliment. "Steven at least has a quartz. He's practically half a warrior already. Besides, he can protect you with his shield—you know, the thing that is specifically designed to protect people? Out of everyone here—aside from myself, that is—Steven needs the least protection. Coddling him is an insult to his abilities."

Garnet turned abruptly. "I don't need you telling me what is best for Steven."

"You sure seem to think you know what's best for him," said Ten. "Did you ever think he knows that better than you?"

"Don't you dare—"

Amethyst let out a roar of annoyance, startling the others. She stepped between the two arguing gems and pushed them apart. "I SO don't care about this right now! If we're gonna do this, let's do this."

"I'm with Amethyst on this one," said Pearl. "Steven fights us enough without you arguing on his behalf, Ten. And Garnet, we're not going to be able to hold him back forever."

Garnet nodded begrudgingly, then sighed. "He's growing up," she said.

"Okay?" said Ten, not understanding

"Humans get rebellious at a certain age, right around where Steven is. It will become harder and harder to make him listen."

"Maybe it's about time you guys listen to him instead."

"You don't understand how limited his experience is. Humans are helpless the first years of their life and he has only come into his powers recently. We've all fought thousands of foes each so it makes sense for us to be as confident as we are. Steven hasn't earned that confidence in his abilities yet. He forgets he even has half of them. It's not about him gaining experience; it's about keeping him from thinking he is more experienced than he is because we both know what happens to warriors that think that way."

Ten nodded gravely. "I don't disagree," she said, "but we also both know that experience doesn't just happen without action. Keeping him out of battle isn't the solution. You need to protect him as much as possible, but you also need to let him face real danger. If he is going to be anything like Greg when he gets older, than he better get good now before it is too late."

"We've been training him," Garnet protested.

"And you can only train him so much." She looked at Pearl and Amethyst, who looked ready to interrupt again. "I've said my piece."

"Something tells me this won't be the last piece I hear from you."

"Not by a mile," said Ten. "You might be wise, Garnet, definitely wiser than me, but sometimes I think that makes you miss what's right in front of your face."

Garnet was not pleased with that remark, but she let it slide. She did not want to continue this conversation.

They continued walking for nearly an hour, using cover as they went to avoid any Onyxes that might be snooping around. The stand of trees they were looking for appeared in the distance, growing in the place where three separate fields met. They approached cautiously, drawing their weapons as they reached the shade of the first tree. Garnet waved them forward and they entered, peering in every direction for signs of their targets.

As they delved deeper, the sound of wildlife faded away. The intrusion of the cluster gems had scared off all of the birds and critters. Knowing they were close, the Crystal Gems crouched, moving toward the heart of the small woods on high alert. A shuffle ahead caused them to pause. Pearl moved carefully toward a band of trees, peering around it. She waved for the others to join her. She pointed with her free hand toward the group of gathered cluster gems, specifically toward something at their center.

A question passed between the Gems with a look: _what is that?_ From all appearances, there was a gem console in their midst, humming quietly, it's many lights and buttons flashing. The cluster gems were surrounding it, watching it as if hypnotized. They made no threatening gesture as the Crystal Gems moved into the clearing.

"They don't seem to notice us," observed Pearl.

"Should we just poof 'em?" asked Ten.

"Hold on," said Garnet. She moved toward the nearest cluster gem, waving a hand in its face. It didn't react. She waded through the crowd, but none of the clusters made any attempt to stop her.

"This is creepy," said Amethyst, moving to join Garnet in the middle. They both looked at the console. Pearl and Ten joined them. "Any idea what this is, Ten?"

She shrugged. "These panels all kind of look the same to me. Maybe deactivate it?"

"It looks like the panel is placating the cluster gems," said Pearl, looking around at the surrounding group. "Turning it off might make the clusters attack us, but I suppose they are nothing we can't handle."

"This doesn't feel right," said Garnet, who nevertheless reached forward and tapped on the console's main panel.

A screen on the panel lit up. The Gems leaned forward to look.

"Is that the barn?" Pearl looked at the others. "Why is this console showing us the barn?"

There was movement on the screen. A face filled up the entire view, a dangerous smile and narrowed, hungry eyes.

"Emerald!" Ten screamed, flinging herself away from the panel and out of sight.

"Hello, Crystal Gems," said Emerald. She moved out of the way and directed her hand towards the barn. "Looks like you've made a mistake leaving your pitiful little base unprotected. We were going to eliminate you all out there in the forest after you bumbled your way into our trap, but I suppose splitting the group and crushing each half is just as good, don't you think?"

"Don't you dare lay a finger on them!" shouted Garnet.

"But I so wanted to," said Emerald with a fake pout. "Well, shoot. Guess I can't. Better let them take care of it instead." At that, twenty Onyxes appeared from the edges of the screen, moving toward the barn and completely surrounding it.

"Emerald! Don't! What do you want from us?"

"I just want your little half-breed abomination to die."

Pearl put a hand to her mouth. "They're not after Ten. They want Steven!"

"And we will get this 'Steven.' Shortly, it seems. You're all just collateral damage. No hard feelings."

"Oh, there are plenty of hard feelings," said Amethyst. The sound of movement off to the side caused her to turn and see Onyxes slinking out of the woods, another full twenty, and the Gems were surrounded.

"Well, those hard feeling won't last long. I would say 'see you later,' but I'd be lying."

There was a rumbling in the background on the monitor. Emerald turned, and with an unobstructed view, the Gems saw a giant hand of water flinging an Onyx over the horizon.

"Well, that's different," said Emerald. Whatever else she was going to say was lost as Garnet gripped the console and flung it into the nearest Onyx, destroying both the Onyx and the Console. Then the Onyxes charged and the cluster gems started shrieking.

Ten moved close to the others, really wishing she had Rose's glorious sword, but knowing she would have to make due with only her shield. She put up her bubble shield, surrounding the other three gems, and willed the bubble to change shape, becoming spiked and barbed. She threw out her hands and the bubble expanded, the Onyxes and clusters hitting it head on, some getting caught in the spikes. She had hoped so keep them at bay for a little while, but the Onyxes quickly bit through the bubble, popping it and leaving the Gems exposed.

"This might be it," said Amethyst. She lashed out with both of her whips, hoping to stop at least one or two before they got too close, but her whips couldn't crush their hardened gem bodies, serving only to cause pain and slow those she struck.

Garnet moved to her right, putting herself between Pearl and the nearest Onyx, prepping herself to defend. The Onyx leapt for her and Garnet put a fist right through its open mouth. Instead of launching backwards, however, it was thrown sideways as a pair of cluster gems tackled it to the ground and started tearing at the gem on its head.

"What in the world?" cried Pearl. "Are they fighting with us?" Another cluster gem jumped at her, nearly pulling the spear from her hand before she was able to kick it away into a pair of Onyxes that were worrying a fallen cluster. "I guess not. First, clusters don't attack corrupted gems, now they do? I have no idea what's going on!"

"We'll worry about that later," said Garnet. She looked at the chaos the forest clearing was quickly becoming. When the cluster gems started attacking the Onyxes, the Onyxes had mostly veered off and started attacking the clusters in turn. There were an even number on both sides but, despite the ferocity and deadliness of the Onyxes, the clusters were able to hold their own.

Ten watched an Onyx chewing on the arm of a cluster mere inches from its gem, but instead of biting and destroying the gem as they tended to do, it tried to shake the arm in its grip as if trying to tear it off. Ten was struck with a realization. "I don't think the Onyxes can detect the gems on the clusters!"

"That's exactly what it looks like," Garnet agreed. "The clusters can distract them long enough where we might actually defeat them all, but we don't have that kind of time to waste. We need to get back to the barn."

"Go, Garnet," said Pearl. "You're the fastest. We can take care of things here."

"I can bring one of you with me without getting slowed down too much." She looked between them. "With Emerald at the barn, Ten has to stay out of the way here. Amethyst can't destroy the Onyxes, so Pearl, you stay here with Ten and bubble these things. When you're done or if things get too hairy, hurry and catch up. We'll need all the help we can get."

"Right," the others said. Garnet reached out and Amethyst took her hand, then she started to run.

Amethyst had only run with Garnet once before, but she knew she had best hold on as hard as she could as the speed caused her feet to trail behind her in the air. She risked a look back toward Pearl and Ten, but they were already lost behind the trees. "Good luck," she said, her words carried away by the wind.

They made incredible progress. In minutes, the barn was in view, the large watery hand sweeping back and forth as it knocked Onyxes in every direction. Emerald stood a short distance from a hovering Lapis, just out of range of the hand, observing with mild interest, her hands folded behind her back. She noticed Garnet and Amethyst approaching with displeasure.

As they slowed to a halt, Amethyst landed on her feet, dizzy from the run. "I'll take care of Emerald," she said. "You can actually hurt those things."

Garnet nodded. "Just be careful," she said. "We don't know how powerful she is." She dashed over to assist Lapis.

Lapis saw her coming. She was sweating and looked tired, but said, "I don't think I've ever been happier to see a Crystal Gem. Peridot is inside. Can you help her real quick, then come back here?"

Garnet did as she was asked, opening the barn door to find Peridot's gem laying on the floor between Steven and Connie. Steven stood. "Garnet!"

"We don't have time. Bubble Peridot and send her to the temple. We need Stevonnie."

"You mean we get to fight?"

"Don't sound too excited. I can't bubble all these creatures alone and Lapis can only fight for so long. We have no choice. Just be extremely careful." She turned and went back outside.

Emerald was still not interfering, seeming content to just watch as the Onyxes charged uselessly at Lapis, who sent them flying away over and over again. Amethyst came up from behind Emerald, lashing at her with her whip. Much to Amethyst's amazement and frustration, however, Emerald dodged the attack without even looking. Amethyst whipped again, but Emerald shifted out of the way each time, floating and bobbing away from the attacks with apparent ease.

Though astonished at the alacrity and dexterity Emerald displayed, Garnet didn't have time to waste watching Amethyst. She leapt into the air, catching one of the Onyxes as it was blasted away from Lapis, and tore into it with her fingers. The creature nipped at her shoulder, but she got her fingers under its skin before it could do much damage and wrenched it apart. She caught the gem as it fell through the air and turned, seeing Stevonnie appearing from the barn wearing Steven's shirt over Connie's nightgown, her sword and shield ready, looking up at her. She tossed the gem to Stevonnie. She didn't wait to see if they caught it, but turned to look for another defenseless Onyx.

Stevonnie bubbled the gem, then ran to Lapis. "Need some help?" they asked, trying to sound cool and collected.

Lapis looked over her shoulder. "Wha? Who are you?" She turned and unleashed a vicious slap to an approaching foe.

"It's us! Steven and Connie. We're fused!"

"Oh," she said. "I was kind of trying to protect you, but if you can do something about some of these Onyxes, that would be great. Sorry I can't do more; I don't have a lot of water to work with."

Stevonnie sighed inwardly, clearly out-cool-and-collected by Lapis. "That's fine, just keep them distracted so Garnet and I can do what we need to do. And can you keep an eye on Emerald for us? She might try to do something while we're fighting." They both looked over to where Amethyst was still trying to catch Emerald. Amethyst's face was flushed in embarrassment as Emerald soared above her with her legs kicking rhythmically as if she was taking a leisurely swim.

"Poor Amethyst. Poor Amethyst? Poor _us!_ Steven, our whole body feels like it's on fire! Just how sick were you?" They jumped in and dug their sword into the side of an unaware Onyx. "I'm feeling fine. Steven, you can't lie to me, I can _feel_ it. When this is over, you need to take some time off to recover." The hand of water splashed down behind them, crushing an Onyx into the grass. "Aw man, we didn't even see that one. We probably would have if we weren't so light-headed. Okay, I get it, but no point complaining about it now. We have to fight!" The gem from one of the poofed Onyxes began to glow and reconstitute. "Whoa, are you _kidding?"_

"You have to bubble them quickly!" shouted Garnet. She leapt rapidly backwards as three Onyxes rushed her. "A little help, Lapis!"

"Yeah, yeah, I see you." A column of water slammed into their midst, scattering them.

Stevonnie waited until the gem started to take physical shape, then struck it in the head, causing it to destabilize in the middle of repair. Before they could grab it, another Onyx snapped its jaws inches from their hand. They pulled back and put up their shield. "Shoot, we can't get to it. At least we still have our hand. I don't even want to know what would happen to our bodies if Stevonnie gets hurt." They shivered at the thought.

Suddenly, a high-pitched whistle split the air. The Onyxes turned about and ran toward Emerald. Amethyst's eyes went wide, and she turned to run, but was suddenly yanked back as Emerald reached out and grabbed her whip. She tumbled to the ground as Onyxes swarmed over her.

"Amethyst!" shouted Garnet. She rushed forward to help, but stopped when she saw the Onyxes sweep past Amethyst, leaving her unharmed on the ground, though curled into a terrified protective position, arms and legs covering her gem.

"You'll stay there," said Emerald, peering down at Amethyst. She walked away from Amethyst and the Onyxes, taking a wide arc around Garnet, Lapis, and Stevonnie. "You know, you've put up a far better fight than I would have guessed," said Emerald as she walked. "I shouldn't be too surprised: two fusions and a high-class aristocrat. So far, you've done considerable damage to my Onyx reserves. The mere fact that you're here suggests some level of success escaping my trap. I wonder if your allies were so lucky?"

"Why are you attacking us?" Garnet yelled at her. "What is the point? Are you just a lackey of the Diamonds, blindly following orders like every other gem we've run into?"

"Please," said Emerald. "We're all created knowing what we are to do. Those of us who excel at our tasks do them for love of a job well done. Failures, like a Sapphire that can't predict the future or a Ruby who couldn't protect her charge, those are the ones who abandon their duties."

Garnet's fists clenched. She knew she was being goaded into doing something rash and she would not let Emerald have the satisfaction. She looked back over to where Amethyst was lying, surrounded by Onyxes and too frightened to move. A movement from Emerald made her turn back. Emerald brought her left hand from behind her back, the large green gem on her palm shining. She raised it palm downwards. A construct of light fell from the gem and she caught it. It was a short, dagger-like weapon, and as its form solidified, it was clear that it was not a normal weapon. The blade was long and edged with strange ridges on the back side, like chunks of the blade had been dug out, leaving it with deep teeth. The pommel was large and heavy looking, clearly meant for bashing. The weapon was not fancy-looking, being of a dull gray color. It was utterly utilitarian.

"You might want to keep your eyes on me," she said, twirling the weapon in her hands. "I'm impartial to fighting if I'm honest, but I will make short work of you if necessary. As for you," she pointed her weapon toward Lapis, "you've caused more than enough trouble for me. Perhaps you could sit the rest of this battle out while I settle my dispute with the fusion and the abomination. If you do, I will spare you when this is over. I have no need to shatter you."

"Pass," said Lapis. "I'm not letting you hurt Steven."

"A pity," said Emerald.

There was a cracking sound, and suddenly a whip was around Lapis' neck. She looked surprised for a moment before she was jerked from the air and slammed into the ground. Stevonnie and Garnet turned in shock, seeing Amethyst with an equally nonplussed look on her face. "What the…?" she said, then jerked her whip, crushing the neck of the struggling Lapis. Lapis destabilized, her gem settling in the grass.

"Amethyst!" cried Stevonnie. "What did you do?!" Their body began to glow.

"We have to keep it together!" said Connie. "We can't lose concentration now!"

"Sorry," said Steven, "I-I'm trying." Slowly, they relaxed, their body resolidifying.

"The Amethyst Emerald," said Garnet, taking a defensive stance. "When did we lose Amethyst?"

"As soon as you arrived," said Emerald. She looked pleased at their surprise.

"What? But how?" said Amethyst. "I can still talk. I was _fighting_ you!"

"'Fighting' is generous," said Emerald. "I let you think you were your own gem for a while until I had some use for you. Besides, the reactions are always so priceless afterward." She let out a chilling laugh. "I assure you I had more than enough control to bend you to my whims. But I digress. I've had my fun." She raised her weapon, causing the Onyxes to stand and Amethyst to brandish her whip. "I think it is time I finish my job."


	15. I Need Help

**This chapter is about to earn this story its rating. Reader discretion advised.**

* * *

Ten sat roughly against a tree, exhausted. It was a miracle that she and Pearl were still alive after Emerald sprung her trap. While the fact that Onyxes were universally corrupted was a surprise, it ended up being their saving grace as the vicious, stupid brutes were far more concerned with savaging the near-helpless clusters than facing a real challenge in the two remaining Crystal Gems. Even better, because they seemed completely incapable of locating their actual gems, even after the cluster had been poofed, not a single gem in the bunch had been shattered. If the fight could have gone any better, Ten wasn't sure how.

Pearl bubbled the fortieth and final gem, then hobbled over, leaning on her spear. Sweat beaded her entire body, half her hair plastered to her scalp, the other half sticking out in wild directions. Her clothes were shabby, being torn and shredded in places during battle, and she was caked with dirt and mud. Ten wanted to laugh at her appearance, but she doubted she looked much better at this point. Ten's side was tender where she had been clawed and her left foot was practically mangled from when an Onyx had collapsed on top of it. All in all, it could have been a lot worse.

"Well," said Ten, "that was more excitement than I would have liked."

"You and me both," said Pearl, sinking to her knees.

"I hate to say it, but we should start heading to the barn. I just don't think I can. I can barely move." Ten tried to stand but her body wasn't budging. She sat back down and rested her head against the tree. "I just want to slip back inside my gem and recover."

"That sounds lovely. Unfortunately, Garnet's waiting for us." With a display of remarkable resilience, Pearl pushed herself off the ground and started moving out of the forest the way they had come. Ten sighed; she couldn't let herself be outdone by this thin little Pearl. With a groan and a monumental effort, she lifted herself off the ground, clutching the tree to keep her steady, and stumbled after Pearl.

They had gone barely a dozen paces when Ten heard a jaunty tune spill from out of her armor. She shuffled to a halt, momentarily confused, then remembered the phone that Steven had given her. With clumsy hands, she pulled it out and swiped the call. She jabbed speakerphone. "What?"

"Ten?!" said a puffing voice. "Are you and Pearl on your way?"

"We're fine, thanks for asking," said Ten grouchily. "Why does your voice sound weird?"

"That's Stevonnie," said Pearl. "What's happened? It sounds like you're running."

"We lost Peridot and Lapis. We had to bubble them and send them to the temple to keep them safe."

"Even Lapis?" said Pearl, surprised.

"Yeah. Hold on." There was a sudden thump as if the phone had been dropped and a hurried scuffling, followed by a yelp and a blast of air. "Sorry. Emerald split Garnet and me up. I don't know where she is. I need help!"

"What about Amethyst?"

"She's under Emerald's control. Turns out this one is the Amethyst Emerald."

"Ah, geez," said Ten. "Any sign of the other one? I don't want to run in and get mind-controlled."

"We didn't see her, but we need you here either way. I've got Emerald and Amethyst after me, plus a half dozen Onyxes. Garnet's got the rest after her. I'm sure she can outrun them easily, but they keep catching up to me. I don't know how long I can keep going."

"I'm sorry," said Pearl, "we're coming, but we're exhausted. Try moving to the northwest and we'll meet up with you. Please stay safe."

"I'm definitely trying. See you soon." Stevonnie hung up the phone.

The pair found a renewed sense of strength, returning back through the forest towards where Steven would be coming. They moved at a light jog, completely incapable of going faster. As they ran, a look passed between them; both believed it impossible that the two of them would be able to handle six Onyxes, Amethyst, and Emerald even in the best of conditions, but as they were now, what else could they do? Leave Steven and Connie to fend for themselves? Leave Amethyst under Emerald's control? They moved with a grim certainty that they would not be able to save both themselves _and_ Stevonnie.

"When it comes to it—" began Pearl.

"I know," said Ten. "You won't run?"

"Of course not."

"Steven might not want to leave."

Pearl nearly growled as she said, "Then you'll make him."

"Nonsense. I can hold them off longer than you can," said Ten.

"But you can also protect the children if they catch up again. Two shields will be better than one."

"I don't want any more of my friends to be shattered. Ever."

"We don't want you to be shattered either."

Ten sighed. "I really wish One was here."

"And Rose. But they're not." They continued in silence until they reached the edge of the trees. Far, far in the distance, a bare speck on the horizon, they could see a group running towards them, Stevonnie in the lead and a hungry pack behind. Pearl and Ten prepped themselves. "It was nice meeting you, Ten. Tell Steven I love him."

"I will." Ten swallowed hard, willing herself not to cry. She couldn't afford to let her vision blur.

They stayed at the edge of the tree line, waiting for Stevonnie, recovering what little energy they could. They both understood the plan without having to say anything: while their foes were distracted, Ten would take Stevonnie and lose them in the woods. It was simple and, they hoped, effective, for there was no other plan to be had.

Stevonnie approached, stumbling and tired, but surprisingly well ahead of their pursuers, shield and sword ready should they need to turn at a moment's notice. They saw Pearl and Ten ahead, looking on the verge of tears in relief. They turned to look behind them for a moment, then suddenly they screamed, stumbling to their knees and clutching their stomach.

"Stevonnie!" The two Gems both shouted. They hesitated only a moment, hoping Stevonnie would rise again, but it was immediately clear they were in intense pain. Their own fatigue forgotten, the Gems raced out to retrieve Stevonnie. Stevonnie was well past the midpoint between their pursuers and rescuers, but the Onyxes were moving faster than Ten and Pearl could manage. It would be a close thing.

Stevonnie screamed again, teeth clenched as they rolled in the grass, not understanding where the pain was coming from. It felt like their stomach was bulging outward, like the very skin of the abdomen was ready to burst, like their gem was ripping itself from their body. They could feel themselves desynchronizing, but they couldn't find the willpower to cease it. With a sudden blast of light and velocity, Steven and Connie shot apart, bouncing away from one another in the grass.

Connie rolled to her knees, one hand on her stomach. The memory of the pain was there like a dull heat, but the pain itself was gone. She was able to stand, looking over her shoulder at the approaching Onyxes. In a panic, she dashed over to Steven. "We have to go!" she cried.

Steven's breathing was uneven. His face was red and he was sweating profusely and, worst of all, he was still clutching his stomach. "Connie," he gasped, "it hurts."

"Oh no," she moaned. The enemy was closing faster than their friends. She pulled Steven's arm away from his stomach and threw it over her shoulder. She tried to lift, but it was useless. She suddenly wished she wasn't so petite. "You have to stand up and walk with me, Steven. There is no way I can carry you."

"I-I'll try." He reached over and put his other hand on her shoulder, pulling himself off the ground, his feet dragging like he could barely lift them. They began to move, Connie using one arm to support him and the other to drag Rose's sword behind them. Steven blinked, trying to clear his head. The pain seemed to recede as suddenly as it had come, falling to a persistent throb that still hurt immensely, but at least allowed him to walk with Connie's aid.

"Please be fast enough," Connie said to herself. "Please be fast enough, please be fast enough, please be fast enough!" She didn't want to look back any more, but the low thunder behind them began to resolve itself into individual footfalls and she knew they were getting close. Instead, she kept her eyes on Pearl, half walking, half dragging Steven towards her sword fighting instructor.

"Down!" Ten yelled suddenly. Connie dropped immediately, Steven going down with her, as Ten threw her shield. Steven and Connie rolled onto their backs, looking up just in time to see an Onyx coming down toward them. Instinctively, Steven summoned his shield. The Onyx landed on the shield, the weight of the thing jamming Steven's arm into his and Connie's faces as they both screamed in terror. A split-second later, Ten's shield smacked the monster in the face, causing it to fall backwards and away from the kids.

"Sword!" said Ten, so close that she didn't have to raise her voice. Connie flung her arm upward with all her might, tossing the sword through the air. Ten leapt forward, reached out, and caught the blade by the hilt. With a fighter's expert grace, she landed, turned, and thrust the blade with all her might.

Pearl came to a sharp halt. She and Ten's gazes met as they exchanged a look of surprise, their eyes widening. They both looked down, Rose's sword firmly held in Ten's hand, the blade running clean through Pearl's torso. Pearl's jaw shook and tears came to her eyes.

"How?" Ten said.

"No!" cried Amethyst. Steven and Connie were too stunned to react.

Emerald began to laugh. She wriggled her left hand with it's large, green gem, forcing Amethyst to approach her. Then she pulled her right hand out from behind her back, cackling with purest joy as she opened her fingers to reveal another gem. Amethyst's mouth fell open. "They're fused," she whispered in horror.

A tear slid down Pearl's cheek. "No," she managed to say. She looked down at the children as her body began to lose its substance. "Run."

Then she burst into dust, her gem landing softly in the grass.

Emerald seemed unable to contain her mirth. "Oh, it's just one glorious turn after another," she said as her Onyxes formed a large perimeter around herself and the Crystal Gems. "I love it. You fools keep thinking you stand a chance against me, then with a wave of my hand, I brush aside your delusions. The look on your faces every time I crush your dream is priceless!" Her laughter redoubled, and soon she could barely stand. "I am so happy that I was given this assignment!"

She stepped forward, gesturing to Ten. Ten walked over, saluting with her sword. "So good to see you again, my dear Ten. How have you been? I thought you dead, frankly. We have to talk; tell me what you've been up to, explain how you survived, all the happenings in your life. We have so much catching up to do." She pinched Ten's cheek.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" shouted Amethyst. "You're sick! You're a twisted person!"

"Sick?" Emerald dabbed at her eyes, still teary from all the laughter. "Twisted? Please. I am so far above you that you cannot even comprehend the magnitude of my brilliance and power. Time and time again I could have wiped you from the planet, but it wasn't my goal. It was to eliminate that disgusting abomination." She pointed toward Steven. "That you all have allowed this should be punishable by death, but you are not important enough for the Diamonds to consider worth shattering. That's fine with me. I could always use more servants on my ship." She gestured with both of her hands, and Amethyst and Ten bowed to her, causing her to again burst into laughter.

"That being said," she continued, a cold expression crossing her face, "I have no use for a servant who doesn't know how to obey. What use is a Pearl that doesn't know it is only meant to be owned?"

Amethyst's eyes went wide. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I certainly would. Ten, be a dear a destroy that Pearl for me."

"Please, no," Ten mewled, her body already turning around and marching toward the fallen gem. "Please. I'll do anything, please. Don't make me."

"Mmm, that familiar begging. How I've missed you, Ten. Don't worry, once I'm done with the little monster, I have an execution order on you to follow through with so you won't have to suffer long knowing you've killed another of your allies. I really need to stop you before it becomes a habit."

"No!" shouted Steven, running to put himself between Pearl and Ten. Emerald turned her hand toward Steven, and Ten stopped marching for a moment. Steven let loose another cry of pain, clutching at his stomach.

"Why must you make me do this?" spat Emerald. "Being inside of your mind is disgusting. It is a vile, half-breed swamp of ignorance and waste."

"Wha…?" Ten shook her head, sensing she was somehow free. She began to turn around, but Emerald pointed her hand again at Ten, and she was instantly back under Emerald's control. Her march resumed. She reached Pearl's gem and picked it off the ground.

"Don't do it!" yelled Amethyst. "You don't have to! It's not even part of your mission!"

"You know what? You're right," Emerald admitted. "I certainly don't have to." Then she smiled. "But I want to."

She waved her hand. Ten tossed Pearl's gem in the air, raised her sword, and swung, striking the gem down the center. The gem hovered there, seemingly completely fine for a brief moment in time. Slowly it split, the two halves pushing apart and falling separately to the ground with a sickening thump of finality. Steven staggered, suddenly dizzy, somehow both numb and nauseous. Connie stood behind him, both hands clasped over her mouth in mute horror.

"PEARL!" Amethyst howled at the top of her lungs. Her head whipped about while her body remained motionless, like a creature chained to a post, tears falling from her eyes and a vicious, snarling voice emanating from her throat. "Emerald! I'll kill you! I'll rip you to shreds! I'll stop your gems into dust! There will be nothing left! I'll do it with my teeth if I have to!"

Emerald rolled her eyes. "I've broken gems who've made much bigger threats than you. Half my ship's crew used to be as defiant. You'll learn that I am your master in time."

She watched with disinterest as Steven hobbled over to where Pearl's gem halves had fallen. He knelt down and collected them. "Pearl?" he whimpered, placing the two halves together. "Pearl, please don't be gone." He held the two halves together with one hand and licked his palm, rubbing it along the seam where the two halves met. He waited. Seconds passed, and soon tears gathered in his eyes. "Come on, Pearl. You have to come back." He split the halves apart and ran his tongue along the inside, then pressed the halves together and likewise licked the seam.

"That's just vile," Emerald said with obvious disgust. "There is something deficient in this mistake's mind. It's kind of ruining the delicious irony of destroying her with her master's sword."

Steven clutched the gem halves. "Mom wasn't Pearl's master." He turned, fury in his tear-filled eyes. "She belonged to _nobody!_ "

"Well, she certainly doesn't now." Emerald laughed loudly at that.

Connie sidled up to Steven. "We have to get out of here," she whispered.

"No," said Steven. "She shattered Pearl. She's controlling Ten and Amethyst. We have to take her down. We need Stevonnie."

"Steven…" She looked at the bisected gem that Steven was holding to his heart, her lip trembling. "Okay," she said. "Let's fuse." She reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Hold on there, precious," said Emerald, pointing her right hand at Steven. Again his body filled with pain, his hand nearly crushing Connie's as he reflexively gripped it hard. Emerald tsked. "You're so broken I can't even control you right," she muttered.

Ten realized she was free again. She understood suddenly what was happening. She formed her shield and chucked it at Emerald as quickly as she could. Emerald reacted just too slowly, moving her hand back toward Ten just as the shield left her fingers. It sailed through the air, heading right for Emerald's head. She jerked her left hand, and suddenly Amethyst dived in the way, taking the shield right across the face.

"Why, you cheeky little pebble," hissed Emerald.

"Can only control two people at a time, eh?" said Ten mockingly, though she wore no smile as she said it. Her eyes flashed murder.

Emerald scoffed. "You think you're clever, don't you?" She directed her left hand at Steven, and he once again began writhing on the ground, crying out. "At least I have a clear way to punish an upstart like you."

"Lay off the kid," shouted Ten. "Take your punishment out on me, you coward!"

"I am an Emerald. I am second only to the Diamonds themselves. I can do whatever it is I—" A whip snapped upward, catching Emerald around the wrist, and jerked downward. "What?!"

Amethyst lay at her feet, her whip tight in her hand. She spat at Emerald. "Forget about me, killer?" She yanked hard, pulling Emerald off her feet and on top of herself. "Get out of here, guys!" She shouted as she struggled with Emerald.

Ten immediately turned toward Steven, who was still recovering on the ground, and ran to scoop him and Connie up.

"Don't even think about it!" Emerald thrust one of her hands in Amethyst's face and their struggle immediately ended as Amethyst went limp under her command. She swiftly directed her other hand toward the retreating Ten, and she, too, stumbled to a halt. Steven and Connie scrambled away from her as best they could.

Emerald rolled off of Amethyst, looking furious. "How dare you assault my dignity, you insignificant, stunted piece of defective jewelry!" She raised her hand and Amethyst was lifted physically from the ground. Despite her anger, she lowered Amethyst to her feet, spinning the gem to face her. "Since you want to be the hero, I'll make sure you play the part properly."

Emerald placed her hands above one another. The gem on her left hand began to glow, as did Amethyst's. "Retrieve your weapon," she commanded.

Amethyst reached for her chest and gripped a handle, but her eyes went wide. "Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" As she pulled her weapon out, she gritted her teeth and fell to her knees. Rising out of her chest was not her whip, but the ugly blade that Emerald had revealed before. As the tip cleared Amethyst's gem, she fell to the ground, gasping.

"And another," said Emerald. Amethyst pulled a second out with her free hand, wailing in pain as she did so.

"And up you go," said Emerald, and Amethyst was forced to shaky feet. "Now go take care of that little abomination. That will teach you to strike at me."

Amethyst spit at her, but her body advanced on Steven and Connie. Steven moved in front of Connie and put his shield up. "Stay behind me," he said. "We can't run now. Sorry."

Connie wrapped her arms around his abdomen from behind. "It's okay. If you're going to fight, I want to be here with you."

"Hold Pearl for me," he said, handing the two pieces to Connie.

She took them, disappointed with herself that, lacking a sword and unable to fuse with Steven without inviting more pain, this was all she could do. They both braced themselves as Amethyst advanced.

"Please dodge, Steven," said Amethyst as she got within talking distance.

"I'll try," he said.

"Poof me if you have to."

"…I'll try."

She leapt forward and jabbed with one of the large, strange daggers. Steven took it on his shield, then hopped to the side as the other tried to sneak around his shield. She kicked out, striking the shield to no effect.

"At least your shield isn't some half-baked simulacrum," observed Emerald. She waved for Amethyst to continue the assault. Strike after strike, Amethyst came after him, but he was quick with his shield, taking each blow as they came and dodging those he couldn't. He and Connie moved backwards in unison, months of combat practice and a strong compatibility keeping them from tripping each other up. Slowly, they inched towards the forest.

Steven and Connie had the same thought: if they could reach the forest…

But no sooner had that thought occurred to them as they heard a growl and felt a nip at their back: one of the Onyxes on the perimeter wasn't liking how far they had moved from the center of the ring and was making its displeasure clear. Reluctantly, the children steered the battle back toward Emerald. Their options were quickly running out and they couldn't keep blocking forever. They would tire long before Amethyst did, especially with Steven being as sick as he was.

Soon they were right back where they started, fighting mere feet from where a frozen Ten stood, forced to watch and unable to help. Back and forth they went, Emerald observing while handling both Ten and Amethyst with such apparent ease that she didn't even look to be concentrating on the task at hand.

Amethyst struck high with her left hand, trying to get above Steven's shield. He raised it up, catching her on the forearm and forcing her arm upwards. Her right came in low. He dodged toward her attack, bringing his shield down on her wrist, strong enough to surprise her, but not hard enough to break her hand. He stomped on her right hand, pinning it to the ground, then raised his shield again to block the blow from her left as it came again. He now had her pinned. He met her eyes. "Sorry about this, Amethyst."

"Do it, dude."

Steven raised his shield, pushing her left hand away, ready to strike downwards on her right arm with all of his might, aiming to break, perhaps even sever her arm. He didn't want to and his bile rose at the thought, but the only way any of them were going to survive was if Steven beat Emerald. If Amethyst had to be poofed, then so be it. He struck downwards with his shield…

…and howled in pain once again, his stomach on fire. His shield went askew and slammed into the ground, glancing off Amethyst's wrist.

"Got to… hold… the shield…" Steven's face was a mask of concentration and pain, but despite his efforts, his shield split into shards and vanished.

"No!" cried Connie. "Emerald, you coward! At least let them have a fair fight!"

"No," Emerald said curtly. "Finish him."

"Like I'll let that happen!" shouted Ten, free once more. She raised her sword high overhead, bringing it down in a savage arc toward Amethyst's head.

"Yes!" shouted Amethyst.

Amethyst's body shifted and she brought one of the blades up, turning it around and catching Rose's sword in between two of the large teeth on the back of her dagger. Twisting it, the arc of the sword changed, being dragged off to Amethyst's left and landing harmlessly in the grass.

"No!"

With her other dagger, Amethyst struck, driving the point deep into Steven's unprotected stomach.

"STEVEN!" she shrieked.

"Ah!" cried Connie, falling backward, a small bloody tear in her nightgown where the dagger had passed completely through Steven and cut her as well. She looked at the cut, then back up at Steven in utter shock. He stood rigid, his face turned away from her, looking at Amethyst. "Sorry, Amethyst," she heard him mutter, then he slumped forward.

"No! Steven!" Strong hands wrapped around Amethyst's head and Ten dragged her backwards. "I didn't mean to!" Amethyst babbled. "I didn't want to! I didn't—I couldn't stop!"

"I know," said Ten, then squeezed, crushing her head.

Amethyst burst into mist, leaving one dagger to fall to the ground and the other to dangle from Steven's body as he slid to the ground.

"Finally!" cried an exasperated Emerald. "This whole thing has gotten quite boring. We need to finish this up and get off this crusty rock of a planet."

Ten shook her head dumbly. She turned to look at Emerald, to say something, but her eyes were out of focus. She couldn't even muster the willpower to try to attack Emerald right now, sinking instead to her knees.

"Now, Ten," said Emerald, raising a hand, "if you would be so kind—"

There was a sudden yelp, and suddenly an Onyx was hurtling right toward Emerald. Her eyes went wide and she dodged sideways through the air, the rocky gem scraping her arm as it went. She barely had time to register this shock when Garnet burst into the scene at obscene speeds. She reached down and scooped up the fallen Amethyst, jumped sideways to grab Connie and throw her over her shoulder, then put her arm carefully under the limp Steven and lifted him up.

"What? How?" Emerald was confused and angry, but not so much so that she didn't point her finger and shout to the Onyxes around her. "Destroy her! Shatter her! Get me that abomination!"

Garnet's hands were full with the two children and the gem. She looked at Ten and paused for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be," said Ten. "Three for one is a good trade. Just get them out of here."

Garnet jumped away as the Onyxes converged. "No!" shouted Emerald over the cacophony of yelping Onyxes. "Seize her! Bring her back or I will shatter every last one of you useless idiots!"

The Onyxes scampered to obey, but Garnet was swiftly ahead of them and gaining distance. They would have no chance of catching up. All Ten could do was watch them go and wait for Emerald's control to seep back into her mind.

Garnet ran with Steven and Connie, not looking back. She heard Steven utter something and she looked down. He was very pale and blood was running down his face and body. "P-P-Pearl?"

"Here, Steven," said Connie, her voice a cracked and broken mess. "I have her."

Garnet reached over and took the two halves in her hand, gripping them next to Amethyst's stone. Tears began to slide down her cheeks from under her visor. "I should have been faster," she said. "I shouldn't have ordered this mission. I should have been patient."

"It's… okay," said Steven, putting a bloody hand on her cheek. "You tried."

"Steven, use your healing spit!" Garnet commanded. "Put it in your wound! Hurry!"

"Right," he said weakly. "My spit." His hand struggled toward his face, but he managed to get it to his mouth and run his tongue along his palm. The hand came away red and sticky, more blood than anything. He reached toward his stomach, paused, then shifted. His hand swept across Pearl's gem, smearing the spit and blood along the seam between the two halves.

"Steven, no! That won't work. It's too late. She's already shattered. You need to—" The gem halves began to give off a dull glow. "What?"

As she held the gem, the blood and spittle seeped into the crack between the halves, and soon the gem was afire with a brilliant white light. Before her eyes, the seam grew thinner and thinner, finally vanishing altogether after a few seconds. Garnet was so surprised that she stumbled to a stop.

"That's…" she sputtered. "Steven, even Rose couldn't…" She felt him sinking in her arm. "Steven! Steven, do not go to sleep! Steven, you need to heal your own wound!"

Garnet's voice was foggy to Steven, sounding a long way off. He tried to lift his hand to his mouth again, but it wasn't moving. "Is…" he croaked, "…is Pearl… okay?"

"She'll be fine, Steven," she said, not knowing if it was true. "You need to heal yourself!"

"Good," said Steven. His eyelids were growing heavy and the pain in his stomach was slowly receding. Suddenly, everything felt supremely peaceful and pleasant. He looked up at Garnet and Connie, both of whom were shouting at him, but they sounded like voices underwater a great distance away and he could understand nothing. He lay against Garnet's arm, surprised at its incredible warmth, and felt himself being pulled downwards into an inky blackness.


	16. The Void

Steven roused.

All around him was blackness. He tried to look around, but his senses reeled and everything was confusion. He had no sense of his body at all, whether warmth or cold or the feeling of gravity pulling him downward, nor did he feel hunger or pain or fatigue. He didn't feel _anything_ , just snippets of thought and emotion that flittered just beyond his ability to comprehend.

He attempted to call out, but couldn't find his voice or work his mouth. Under normal circumstances, this would have been where panic would set in, but his emotions were so stunted that he only had a vague sense of disquiet.

With little else to do or see, he fell to waiting. If he was missing or in trouble, he was sure Pearl, Garnet, or Amethyst would come for him. _Would Ten?_ He wondered. Either way, there was nothing he could do as he was now, so he waited.

He stayed where he was for quite a long time, longer than he would ever had had the patience for anywhere else, but here he had no sense of worry or need to fidget or do something. There was no doubt that hours were passing—It might have even been a day, maybe more—but he was willing to wait. The Gems would be proud of him for making the wise decision to wait for them.

Gradually, even with his newfound sense of peace and purposelessness, his mind began to turn to other things. How had he gotten here again? Why wasn't he worried? Where was he, exactly? Maybe his newfound patience wasn't the best thing in this circumstance, but what should he do? After hours of deliberation, he decided he would stretch his senses out and see what he could discover.

On this second attempt, he had a much better understanding of himself and his surroundings. He didn't seem to have a body at all, so that explained the lack of feeling and sensation. Could he not see because it was dark, or because he had no eyes? He was uncertain. Perhaps if he found something with eyes nearby, he could leap into its mind like he had done before in his sleep. It took a few attempts, but Steven discovered how to shift his mind around in the darkness, knowing somehow he was moving despite having no sense of speed and no advantage of landmarks for perspective. Still, his mind flew.

This strange blank void offered nothing of interest to Steven, but his expanded patience allowed him to continue his search hours after he would normally have surrendered in his attempts. Slowly, he became aware of some presence far away. He reached out towards it with his mind, feeling a simmering of powerful emotion. He spent the better part of a day to reach it. As his mind approached, the emotions began to resolve themselves into things he recognized: anger, jealousy, confusion. As he closed the distance, those red-hot emotions washed over him, and new ones, cold and white to his mind, began to bubble up from deeper within: loneliness, sadness, fear. There was certainly somebody here.

Steven puzzled over how to communicate with it. Should he simply move to the center of this ball of emotion? The thought of delving too deep into these emotions frightened him. Maybe he had best reach out with… whatever he was reaching out with. Steven wasn't really sure.

He prodded mentally. There was a reaction, a low thrum in his mind. It felt strange, but non-threatening. He prodded again, more openly, pressing deeper into the cloud of emotions. Again, it sounded in his mind, like a low moan. There was something strangely familiar about it. He supposed the only option was the dive in headfirst and see what happened. Being only a mind, he figured he should be safe.

He pressed with his mind, sinking in. He emerged somewhere that felt different, but was still just as dark and featureless as before. The strong emotions seemed to be dulled here, almost like he was inside his bubble and it held the emotions at bay. He felt something touch the edges of his mind.

"Who's there?" asked a voice in his head. The voice was gentle and deep, familiar to Steven, yet oddly new. It was like he had heard the voice, but had never heard it speak this way. He tried to connect the voice to a face, but it was another slow mental process. He figured it was best not to spend his time on it while he was invading this thing's think-space.

"Hello?" the voice said again. "Are you going to answer me?"

Steven was trying to find the right way to respond. He sent a thought out. "Hello?"

"So there _is_ someone here. Hmm. Are you holding my gem?"

So Steven was talking to a gem. That made sense. "No."

"Then where are you?"

"I don't know. It's too dark to see. Or maybe I can't see."

"You're not sure?"

"No. This is new for me." Steven sensed the presence move around him.

"This is unusual. It almost feels like you are _inside_ my gem."

"I might be? I don't think I am. I think I'm kind of projecting myself inside. Sorry I can't be more specific."

The presence floated away. "That's fine," it said. "I don't mind having company in here for once. It gets rather boring during regeneration."

"Oh, so your body was destroyed?"

There was a shift, a sudden strong suspicion piercing his mind. "How do you know that? You're a gem, aren't you?"

"Sure," said Steven, deciding to keep it simple. "Why? You seem upset about that."

"What are you doing here? Are you spying on me? Are you trying to hurt me, too?"

"What? No, I don't want to find anyone but myself. I'm kind of lost. I was actually looking for help."

The suspicion abated, replaced by a mild confusion. "Find yourself? I don't follow."

"I can't really explain it any better. I don't have a body, but my mind is sort of flying around? Does that make sense?"

"Not really, no."

Steven felt a mild frustration. "That's okay. Where are you, anyway?"

"I don't want you looking for me," said the other. It considered a moment. "Though I suppose it doesn't matter if I tell you I'm somewhere on the bottom of this planet's ocean. You won't be able to find me with just that."

"Why don't you want me looking for you?"

"Because I don't know who you are. I've had neither a warm welcome nor a good time on this planet, so I'd rather be left by myself while I recover."

"How did you get poofed?"

"Poofed?"

"You know, destabilized."

"Ah. I got into a fight with someone that I thought might have cared about me, but I was wrong. She ended up destroying my body."

"Aw, that's sad," said Steven.

"She probably didn't even know she did it, either. She just gave me one good punch, sent me flying into the ocean."

"One punch? Wow, she must be pretty strong."

"Amazingly strong. Stronger than she knows, I think. That's why I respected her. That's why I wanted to be together." Steven felt the mental equivalent of a shrug. "Not meant to be, I guess. It's too bad. We were a spectacular fusion."

"Wait, a fusion?"

"Yeah. Together we were so powerful. We could have owned this planet as Malachite."

"Malachite?" Steven's mind spun. "Wait… Jasper?"

There was silence. Then a stifling wave of suspicion and anger swept over him. "Who are you?! What are you doing in my head?!" The emotions roared like an inferno. "ROSE QUARTZ?!

"I was just—"

"GET OUT!"

Steven's consciousness was flung away by a tide of hatred, pressed against the wall of this consciousness, and forced through, back outside the orb of roiling emotions. The orb now seemed as bright as the sun to his mind's eye, searing him so that he couldn't look at it. His mind snapped back suddenly and he felt himself racing away from the orb, back to where he had started, and felt oblivion embrace him.

Time passed. Steven awoke once more, still lost in the darkness and nothingness. He found now that his lack of a body was irritating to him. At the least he wanted to be able to see.

Maybe if he focused hard enough he could see something. He thought of sight, of the viewing of trees and rivers and the sun and of the faces of friends. Posters, movies, paint, food, anything he could imagine, trying to will himself to remember how to see, but it was to no avail. He didn't know why, but he was confident he could see again if he just remembered how it was done. Maybe he really did need eyes?

How did his eyes look? He recalled his face as he would see it in a mirror. Slightly chubby, curly brown hair, happy. What of the eyes? Black. Friendly. Often open wide to take in the wonders around him.

He felt a twinge of something, a physical sensation. That was new. And was it just him, or did the darkness seem a little less black? Maybe a slight redness to it? Was it because of his eyes? He focused on his eyes again.

To his amazement, his vision began to return little by little the more he thought of his eyes. First it was darkness, then it began to lighten, then clearly it was turning pink. After hours of this, both of his eyes seemed to be working again.

He observed the odd place he was in. As far as he could see, pink clouds stretched away from him; they were like a light mist or fog hugging the ground, but also hung in the pink sky above. He looked around, noticing there was something just slightly out of focus to his left. He tried turning to face it, but it moved with him, staying in the same spot in his vision. Was it a problem in his eye? He tried to move his mind around to get a better look, but found he could no longer do that. Was it because his mind had anchored to his eyes now?

…Eyes? He turned his eyes elsewhere and the little white object spun. He looked right, noticing a second blurry white orb. Was he looking at his own eyes? Were his eyes just floating there? He crossed his eyes, the two orbs spinning to face one another. While blurry, there was clearly a black spot in the center of each.

 _Gross,_ he thought to himself, but he was certain that those orbs were his eyes. If he could will his eyes into existence, then surely he could do the rest of his body as well, right?

He decided to focus.

Steven wasn't sure how much time passed. It was certainly days, maybe even weeks, but his body was finally as whole as he remembered it. He had even managed to bring his favorite shirt and pants back into existence. He still didn't know where he was or where to go or even if he could leave this place, but at least he could do it as a whole person.

The area kind of reminded him of his mom's room in the temple, but he couldn't create anything he wished for here. What he did know, however, was that if any of the other gems were coming, they would have found him by now. He would have to strike out on his own.

He stepped cautiously, the first step he had taken since he created this body. The clouds below were soft and spongy, but he was able to move across them well enough. He started walking.

Hours passed. He was able to walk without tiring, but now that his body was back, he found his supreme patience was fading away. Still, while he held onto it, he walked.

After nearly a day of walking, he slammed face-first into a barrier. There was little warning, just suddenly he could walk no further. He rubbed his face in irritation, then he turned and moved along the barrier, keeping his hand on it. It seemed to move straight along for as long as he walked. Maybe he was imagining it, but it seemed to curve slightly.

His patience began to wear thin all at once. His pace picked up until he was running along the wall, his hand sliding against the barrier as he went. If it was curving like he thought, he was just going to go in a huge circle. He broke away from the wall, running directly away from it. He ran as fast as he could, faster than he ever would have been able to in his normal life. He jumped impulsively, launching like a rocket into the air. Normally he would whoop and holler and the excitement of the speed and height, but here he was reserved. Here, he was just searching.

He sped along, leaping through the air and looking around for any change of the landscape. He sensed the barrier ahead this time and leapt into it feet first. He struck it hard, but it didn't budge in the slightest. He pushed himself off, launching in the opposite direction, continuing to run and leap, hoping for something different.

He did not know how long he did this, but he was just starting to feel the beginnings of hopelessness when something caught his eye: in the distance, far, far above, was a dark pink splotch in the sky. He made a beeline for it, leaping as high as he could to get a look at it, but even his incredible jumping feats didn't bring him close enough. He looked around, trying to find another way to reach the splotch, finally noticing a series of clouds that rose toward it, though they were drifting away from one another.

He didn't hesitate. He ran to the lowest one, jumping as high as he could manage and striking it face-first halfway up. He clambered up the giant, fluffy pink mountain until he could find good footing. The next cloud rose off to his left, so he jumped to that one, then the next, slowly rising higher and higher, the pink object always the center of his attention.

Finally, he reached the top cloud. His goal was above him and far away. The clouds must have drifted further that he thought. It didn't matter. He backed up along the cloud until his feet sloped toward the edge, then sprinted forward, launching himself off the cloud and directly towards the thing. As he approached, he saw that it was some sort of large, pink crystal suspended in the air. He sailed towards it, finding he had actually jumped too far and was in danger of passing clear over. He waved his hands and feet, trying to slow himself down, and soon was gently floating downwards, his hovering powers kicking in.

He sank towards the crystal. He could now clearly see a dark shape inside. He landed and wrapped his hands around the point at the top to keep himself from sliding off. The surface of the gem was so incredibly smooth that it felt unnatural to the touch. From where he was, he could tell that whatever was inside was a person, but that was all he could tell. He couldn't get a good sense of the shape or color.

He felt around for a handhold somewhere lower on the gem, but each face was perfectly smooth save for the points at the top and bottom and the edges between facets. As he slid his hand across one side, he noticed that the surface of the crystal cleared, like what might happen if one wiped condensation off a window. He tried doing the same on the top surface so he could look down and in, but it didn't have the same effect. Maybe the top was too thick.

Adjusting his grip, he was able to swing his legs toward that side of the crystal and rubbed them against the window. He was certain that at least a quarter of the window was clear, but to get any more than that would be impossible while holding on to the top of the crystal.

He wanted to strike his palm to his forehead as he thought of the obvious solution: shapeshifting! Why was he always so slow to remember his powers? No matter. He stretched out his legs, using them the clean up the fog on the window, sliding along every inch of the crystal. It was an uncomfortable process as the crystal was oddly warm to the touch and it felt like he was disturbing a thin film of slime, but eventually he was confident that he had done as much as he could. Now he merely had to stretch his arms, ease himself down, and look inside.

As he lowered himself, the figure slid into view from the bottom up. First was something large and white, billowing outward on all sides. Soft. A dress. She was wide and tall. And pink. Her face pulled into view. His eyes widened. He body went slack in surprise, and his hands slipped from the crystal, his body hovering gently downward as he merely stared up at the crystal retreating into the sky above him.

Was he dreaming? No, that was impossible. He had been here for days, weeks even. This was certainly a real place. But where? Where could it be that this person still existed? For when her face came into view—her large, painted lips, her tiny nose, her eyes closed in quiet repose, and her mountain of curled pink hair spilling all down her back—there was no doubt that he had seen the face of his mother.

Rose, the Rose Quartz of Earth, partner to Greg Universe, mother to Steven, was here, sleeping, sealed within a crystal. How?

Comprehension dawned on Steven. Where else could she be? Where else could _he_ be? Memories came back to him, of Emerald and Amethyst, of the dagger piercing his stomach. He reached down and felt for the wound, but it was not there. Of course it was not there. He had fixed it. Or rather, he had created a new body that was undamaged. Because he had repaired himself. He had regenerated.

He had regenerated because he was _inside his gem_. He could regenerate! This was amazing! He laughed and spun in the air, feeling the strongest surge of emotion since he had awoken in his gem. He had to tell the Gems!

But as quickly as that giddiness came, it was washed away by uncertainty. Why was mom trapped in here? Was it because he was using the gem? If that was why, that meant that she had done this to herself, didn't it? That was not a thought he was comfortable having, but it was the only thing that made sense. She had said she was going to sacrifice herself to create him. Is this how she did it? Could she be woken up? And if she was awoken, what would happen to him? Could they share the gem? Would she be put in control and he crammed into that slimy crystal? Would he simply cease to exist?

Whatever the case, he was not going to make any attempts to awaken her. He knew nothing of what would happen and, since he was a unique being, neither would any of the Crystal Gems. There were too many questions, too many hypotheticals, and frankly, he didn't want to consider any of them. What he _did_ want to consider, now that he knew where he was and he was fully regenerated, was how he was going to get out of his gem.

At length, he reached the cloud floor below and sat down, considering his choices. He wasn't supposed to break out, clearly: if this was even an actual place and not just a construct of his mind, he probably shouldn't break his own gem to escape. That would be counterproductive to say the least. He could try willing himself out, since using pure will to do things in here had proved effective so far. Or he could… no, that was silly. Could he really just… ask? It was absurd, but something about that option struck him instinctively as the right choice.

He looked up. "Gem?" he said, his first spoken words sent into the pink expanse of mist. "I'm ready to go. Can you let me out?"

He was greeted with silence. At first, he thought he had been mistaken, but then the clouds began to glow with a soft pink light. It brightened steadily, but quickly, and soon he was blinded by its brilliance. Then he was floating upwards, his emotions and memories flooding in unfettered by the dampening effects of his gem space, and could feel his body at long last entering the physical world.


	17. The Return of Steven

Steven fell hard.

His body burst into existence on top of some thin object that quickly toppled from the increased and flailing weight. His body slammed into solid stone and his head glanced off of something pointy that left him dizzy.

He lay dazed. This was hardly the welcome back he expected. At least his body seemed relatively intact, aside from the bump on the head and a scraped elbow. He licked his hand and rubbed the sore spots, the pain fading.

He rolled and pushed himself up, looking around. "Is this mom's armory?" he said, his voice echoing off the walls of the cavern. A relieved smile spread over his face. "Pearl's the only one who knew about this place. If I'm here, that means Pearl must be okay! Where is she? Pearl?" He looked around for the others, but he was alone, the only sounds being his own voice, the slow drip of water, and the distant sound of wind that wended its way into the entrance. Everything looked as he remembered it, save for a single pedestal of stone and a pillow that lay on the floor. That must have been what he knocked over and hit his head on. The Gems must have put his gem on top of them. That struck him as odd, but he supposed he did much the same when he first saw Pearl poofed.

He turned his attention to the problem at hand: he would have to find the others somehow. He remembered where the warp pad was from the time he climbed up here with Pearl, but Peridot had mentioned that it wasn't safe to use them because Emerald might be watching. On the other hand, he also didn't know where in the world he was. He could be right next to home or halfway across the planet.

Well, there was no reason to wait there. He would search the back of the cave to make sure the gems weren't deeper inside, but once he was sure he was alone, he would head out.

A short time later found him stepping into sunlight. It looked like the sun was just rising so he had plenty of daytime left to go looking for his friends, but no idea where to start. If he could find civilization, he might be able to get a call through to Connie. He figured, quite bitterly, that calling Ten was pointless as she was either still under Emerald's control, or shattered. Steven promised he would make sure Emerald got some sort of comeuppance.

The view from the plateau didn't contain any towns or cities. Wherever Steven was, it was the middle of nowhere. He figured that's probably why Rose chose it to hide her armory. Stepping back, he launched himself off the cliff face, using his hovering powers to glide away, hoping to see something before he landed as near the warp pad as possible.

The cave fell away behind him, the tall plateau containing it reaching above a dozen other such rocky fingers along the horizon. He didn't know much about building towns or communities, but he was sure that this rocky wasteland was terrible for crops and it looked to be completely without water. Add to that being absurdly out of the way and he was not surprised that he was not seeing any people or signs of civilization. He could not contain his disappointment.

Steven's stomach rumbled, and he realized that he was starving. And not the normal 'what are we having for dinner,' starving, but the 'haven't eaten food in four days,' kind of starving. "Guess I didn't regenerate myself with a full stomach." That was worrisome. Connie might have some level of wilderness survival training, but he was practically clueless. If he had to eat, he would have to find some sort of fruit or vegetable. He might be able to catch an animal, but the thought of killing another creature so he could eat was extremely unappetizing.

He glided toward the warp pad. He approached the ground and touched down, seeing only small trees and shrubs and nothing that looked obviously edible. He was already feeling shaky and weak, his hovering powers having taken a drastic toll on him. He looked at the warp pad and sighed, knowing his only real hope was using it to go somewhere and grab some food. The temple was obviously off limits at the moment, but the giant strawberries on the Strawberry Battlefield would work perfectly. The question that remained was what in the world he was going to do if Emerald followed after him.

His stomach grumbled at him again. He decided he couldn't wait here and think it over. He had to eat right now. He took a deep breath and stepped onto the warp pad, pictured the Strawberry Battlefield, and in the blink of an eye was on his way.

He appeared in the field and immediately darted away from the warp pad, trying to put some distance between him and it so if Emerald appeared, he could at least hide. The smell of strawberries was driving him wild, so it wasn't long before he decided he was far enough and leapt over a bush, tore a strawberry from its stem, and sank his teeth in. He came away with a suffocating amount of strawberry in his mouth, barely chewing before swallowing, not remembering ever being this hungry. He had to gorge himself before whoever was watching showed up.

And show up they did. It had barely been two minutes when he heard the pad activate. He immediately ducked down before he could be seen, cramming more strawberry into his face, trying not to suck too loud on the juices and finding it surprisingly difficult. Footsteps moved quickly away from the pad. A voice called out, but he couldn't hear it clearly over his own chewing. He swallowed, leaned back, and listened.

They called out again, barely a raised whisper. "Who's there?" they said. "You'd best show yourself."

 _Shoot_ , thought Steven, _that's a Ruby's voice. Peridot was right: she definitely followed me._

It sounded like there was more than one, their feet crunching through the grass. "If you're one of Emerald's, you'd better speak up!" the Ruby threatened. Steven stayed as still as he could manage, even pausing his eating, though his eyes kept darting longingly at the food.

At length, the ruby sighed. "I keep telling you we're not gonna find her."

"But who else would activate the warp pad besides one of Emerald's soldiers?" said a second voice. Steven's heart skipped a beat. He leaned closer to make sure he had heard them right.

The two wandered about for a while in silence. Steven didn't want to chance a look in case he was wrong. Finally, the Ruby let out a frustrated shout. "We shouldn't have bothered coming! Now we're gonna have to find some other way back before Emerald uses the warp pad."

"Well, we had to check to make sure," said the other voice. "I'll take one look around before—" the gem gasped sharply. "Ruby!" she called out. As soon as he heard the tone in her voice, Steven knew he was right. He jumped up.

"Sapphire!" he shouted, waving his arms over his head. "Ruby!"

Sapphire was already staring right at him and Ruby turned to face him, both their mouths hanging open. "Steven?!" said Ruby, utterly shocked.

"Steven!" shouted Sapphire, covering the distance between them in a fraction of a second and tackling him with a crushing hug. "You're alive!"

"Ah, cold!" he said, prying her arms off of him. The bush he was hiding behind was now a solid block of ice.

"Sorry!" said Sapphire, pulling away. "How are you here? What happened?"

"What happened?" He put his hands proudly on his hips and puffed out his chest. "I regenerated."

"You can regenerate?!"

"Yeah, I—" he paused. "Wait, what did you mean by 'you're alive?'"

Ruby and Sapphire looked at one another, but before they could respond, the warp pad behind them activated again. The baying of Onyxes followed shortly thereafter. "Oh no!" said Ruby.

"Quick." Sapphire put her hands on Steven's cheeks and kissed his forehead. "I'll see you soon," she said. She put him in a bubble. "Wait for us."

"Wait, Sapphire!" She tapped the top and of the bubble sent him warping away to the temple before he could say more.

His bubble popped in to existence in the inner sanctum of the temple, surrounded by hundreds of other bubbled gems, including what he now noticed was an unnerving number of Onyxes. He did what he did last time Garnet had bubbled him, stretching the bubble wide until it burst, then hovered to the ground, avoiding releasing any other gems by accident. Thankfully, he still had a strawberry as big as his head with him, so he took a moment to eat. Normally his appetite would have been put off by what Sapphire had just said, but normally he would have felt like he had eaten in the last twenty-four hours.

Moments later, a second bubble appeared, Ruby tumbling around inside of it. She looked down, saw Steven, and let out a laugh. "Steven!" she called. Her bubble burst, sending her plummeting toward him. He dodged out of the way, allowing her to land safely on the ground, though her landing turned into a brutal hug an instant later.

"Ah, hot!" he called out, dropping his strawberry, his shirt smoking. Ruby held him at arm's length, ignoring the smoke, and just looked at him, then began to weep.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she said, trying to pull him in for another hug, though Steven put his hands on Ruby's shoulders and pushed away to avoid it. He managed to escape Ruby's burning hot grip.

Steven examined one of the new burns on his arm. "If you keep hugging me, I'm going to need to regenerate again."

"Regeneration!" Ruby slapped a hand to her head. "I can't believe it! Had we known you could regenerate, we would have kept your gem with us. Pearl wanted to be all symbolic and lay it somewhere special to Rose or whatever."

Steven stared at Ruby, his face so full of worry that even the thick-headed Ruby couldn't miss it. "You guys didn't think I was… dead… did you?"

Ruby's excitement faded. "Well, yeah. I mean, you're human and all and you weren't, like, moving or anything. We've definitely seen that before."

"Oh man. Do Connie and dad also think…?" Ruby grimaced, then nodded. "Oh man." Steven said again. "And you guys couldn't tell I was still in my gem?"

"Pearl checked it," Ruby said apologetically, "but she said she didn't feel anything inside."

"Pearl!" exclaimed Steven. "Where is she? Is she alright?"

"She's fine." Ruby looked relieved to move on to a different subject. "She and Amethyst are holing up in our new base now that Emerald controls the beach house and barn."

"Wait, Emerald still has the beach house? How are we going to leave the temple?"

"Don't worry," said Ruby with a sly smile. "The temple has a secret back exit. It's one way, can't be used to get in, but we can head out that way without alerting those mutts she has by the temple door."

"Oh, cool." He paused, waiting for Ruby to say more, but she merely stood there, arms crossed, looking happy and proud. "So… when do we leave?"

"When Sapphire gets here, duh."

"So she can bubble herself and send herself here?"

"Of course not."

"Oh. Then how is she getting here?"

"Well, obviously through the…" Ruby blinked. "Uh… through the…?" She looked around in confusion. "Dang, how _is_ she going to get here?"

"Did she say we were going to meet her here? Maybe we should go to the new secret base."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. That's probably what she wants. Come on, I'll show you the exit."

They started walking through the temple, heading downwards. "So why were you guys separated when you came through the warp pad?"

"Sapphire's idea," said Ruby. "She can move faster when we're separated, so if moving through a warp pad turns out to be a bad idea or if there is an ambush waiting for us, we can get out of there as fast as possible. Also, we're not supposed to travel alone, so it kind of lets Garnet cheat." She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "The only pain is trying to find a warp pad to use that isn't being guarded by whatever soldiers Emerald has left."

"So you were just waiting near one of these warp pads for something to happen when I warped through? What were you looking for?"

"Ten," she said, her features going sour. "Sapphire says we should keep looking for her until we know for certain she's been captured or worse. She's way too optimistic. Ten was left behind surrounded by Emerald and her Onyxes. She was done for." She noticed Steven's sadness and discomfort. "I mean, I'm sure she's fine," she lied badly.

They came to a body of water in a cavern that smelled musty. "Isn't this Amethyst's room?

"No, but it's in her section," said Ruby. "Come on, we go this way." She leapt in the water, walking along the bottom of the pool. Steven enclosed himself in his bubble, following after.

"It's where all this water from Pearl's room empties out," said Ruby, her voice muffled and strange as it floated through the water, struck Steven's bubble, and echoed inside. Ruby seemed pleased that she could share these factoids with Steven to sound smart.

The floor suddenly sloped sharply downward. His bubble began to sink along the incline, moving faster downward as it went. Steven slammed against the back of the bubble and started whirling head over heel as it spun out of control. "Whoa! Ruby, look out!" he shouted.

Ruby looked to see what he was saying, barely turning all the way around before the bubble smashed into her and sent them both rolling into the depths. They both screamed as they hit the bottommost part of the lake and started rolling, the waters around them growing more turbulent as they went. A great whirlpool appeared ahead of them, pulling their orb inward, right toward a hole in the center. They sped toward it, hitting it hard. The bubble was too large to fit through, so they came to a sudden rest there.

Ruby shook her head and looked around. She walked toward the bubble and pressed her face against it. "This is the place!" her voice echoed.

"It is?" Steven looked down at the hole below them. "So we just go down there?" Ruby nodded. "Okay. So how are we going—"

Ruby formed her gauntlet and punched, exploding the bubble. Water pulled them both swiftly downward like a vacuum and they were shot through the tunnel below. Although completely dark, Steven was aware of gem magic at work as they passed through wherever the temple was and into the outside world. Just when he thought he couldn't hold his breath anymore, they were spat out of the tube and carried by the currents to the surface. Ruby grabbed him by the collar of the shirt and dragged him to shore.

"And that's the secret exit!" she said proudly.

Steven coughed out a bunch of water, giving Ruby an exasperated look. "Let's just get to the secret base," he said. "I need to let everyone know I'm alive."

"Sure. We just have to walk toward Connie's place. We're staying at a hotel there, courtesy of Greg."

"A hotel? _That's_ our secret base?"

Ruby shrugged. "Well, it's secret from Emerald, so yeah: secret base."

"Where are we right now?"

"We're about thirty miles outside of Beach City."

"Oh. I think I know this river, then." Steven looked up at the sky. "We should be able to make it to Connie's before sundown if we start walking."

"Oh, yeah, definitely before sundown. Let's go!" Ruby started marching away.

"It's this way, Ruby," said Steven, pointing in a different direction.

"Uh, yeah. Maybe you better take the lead."

Still wet, the two of them set out to meet with the others.

Pearl sat down on the couch. After a moment, her fatigue got the better of her and she lay down instead. She looked across the room at Amethyst who stood at the window, staring out. Neither had spoken all day, despite the approaching evening. Nor had they seen Greg, who had gone to sleep well past midnight and still hadn't left his room despite the passing of nearly fourteen hours.

It wasn't like they had anything to do. Their last fight had crushed their spirits in a way that would take a long time to recover, if they ever did. In the back of their minds, they knew Homeworld was coming and they couldn't sit idly by, but right now they didn't care. They had lost Ten, nearly lost Amethyst, Pearl had been shattered, if only momentarily, and Steven…

…Steven was dead.

Pearl felt the tears coming again. She shoved her face into the armrest. She was alive because of him, a child who had loved her and put her life ahead of his own, and now she could do nothing for him, all of her past efforts to save him for naught. It was a hideous unfairness of the universe.

At least Garnet could still do something. At least she could still go out there and try to fulfill her duty as a Crystal Gem. Pearl and Amethyst were useless to her now. And for all the sorrow Pearl felt, she knew it was nothing compared to Amethyst's. Pearl could tell when Amethyst was thinking about Steven: she would look at her hands and shake, rubbing them together as if to remove the blood. Unlike Pearl, she didn't cry. Pearl didn't think she could.

And Greg… Goodness, Greg. Over their many years on Earth, the Gems had seen the very depths of human suffering, they had seen reactions far worse than his, of children who had lost their entire village and family in one brief flash of warfare, but they were never people that the Gems were connected to in the any way. To see this man shrivel as he had, seeming to age years in a few days, to shuffle lifelessly about this hotel room with no goal in mind, barely able to feed himself or groom himself, was another stab in the collective heart of the Crystal Gems. Connie's tears and utter emotional breakdown were easier to handle by far.

There was a knock at the door. Pearl waited to see if Amethyst was going to get it, but Amethyst had not even the slightest reaction. Pearl slung herself from the couch, forced herself to her feet, and went to answer it. She checked the peephole habitually—it was not like a wooden door was going to stop Emerald and her Onyxes—and saw Sapphire waiting without. She unlatched the door to let her in.

Sapphire took a look around the room. "Ruby clearly hasn't gotten here yet."

"Is she missing too, now?" said Pearl with newfound pessimism.

"No, no," said Sapphire. "I just expected her to arrive before me. She can't be too far behind."

Pearl gave Sapphire a sidelong look. The diminutive blue gem looked bursting to tell them something. "Do you have some news?" She tried to sound interested for Sapphire's sake but failed.

"Some of the best news you'll ever hear," said Sapphire. "But I don't think I should tell you myself. When Ruby gets here, you'll understand right away. In hindsight, it may seem a bit cruel that I didn't tell you now, but please bear in mind my abilities."

Pearl shook her head. She didn't have the capacity to care. "Whatever you say, Sapphire. Just, when Ruby gets here, tell her not to make too much noise."

"I would say the same to you," said Sapphire. "Please sit on the couch. Amethyst, you too, if you would." Amethyst didn't answer. Sapphire walked over and took Amethyst by the wrist, leading her over to the couch. Amethyst fell into her seat, elbows on knees, chin in hands, looking grumpy at having been pulled from the window. Then Sapphire went to the door to the bedroom and knocked.

"Greg? Greg, can you come out?"

"Don't bother him, Sapphire," said Pearl. "Let the man sleep. It makes him feel good, or at least not feel bad."

"Our news will make him feel better."

That comment struck Pearl as extremely strange. She finally noticed that Sapphire was oddly upbeat, seeming on the verge of dancing. Sapphire clearly thought the news Ruby was bringing was absurdly good, but she just didn't see what could be worth acting that way. Pearl considered her interest piqued, though it was a cautious, even suspicious interest.

"Greg?" Sapphire knocked one last time, but still got no response. Sapphire stared for a moment. "This will be fine," she said at length, then returned to the front door. "It won't be long now. Please prepare yourselves."

Pearl didn't know what that meant, but Sapphire's words and attitude were causing an odd sort of hope to bubble up in her chest. She looked at Amethyst to see if she felt the same, but Amethyst clearly did not. Pearl turned to the door, keen on focusing on this diversion while it lasted, just glad to have some small distraction from her own mind for a while.

Moments passed in silence. Sapphire waited patiently, trying not to beam. After a seemingly arbitrary amount of time, she said, "It's time. Please stay there. I'll be right back. I'm sure they'll want to make a flashy entrance."

"Who?" said Amethyst, finally stirred enough to take even a cursory interest.

"You'll see," Sapphire said with a mysterious smile and giggle. The reaction caused Pearl and Amethyst to exchange looks.

"Something weirds going on, P," said Amethyst. Pearl looked at her, seeing the faint blossoming of interest and hope in her eyes as well. They heard steps coming down the hall and they both stood reflexively. They suddenly felt breathless and didn't know why. Pearl's hand found Amethyst's shoulder, and Amethyst's found Pearl's leg. They drew together, watching the door, unnerved by this unnamed excitement.

The steps stopped in front of the door. The doorknob turned and the door opened slightly, then stopped. Garnet's voice drifted through the crack. "Go ahead. I know you want to."

"Thanks," said the other. At the sound of his voice, Pearl and Amethyst gripped each other hard.

He kicked open the door with all his might, causing it to fly open and smash into the doorstop, Garnet's hand the only thing keeping it from snapping back and slamming shut. Steven launched into the room, arms wide, a broad smile on his face. "Guess who's back!" he shouted.

He had expected them to come at him for a hug, to shout his name, something dramatic like that. Instead, they hugged each other, both sinking to the ground like their legs had given out, and wept.

"He's alive," cried Pearl, burying her face in Amethyst's hair, her tears and snot mixing with the lavender strands.

"I didn't kill him," sobbed Amethyst, hugging Pearl roughly around the middle. She looked up and waved Steven over and sniffed loudly. "Come here, little man. I have to feel it to believe it."

"Geez, guys," said Steven, his grin fading, feeling terribly embarrassed all of a sudden. He walked over to them. "I was hoping you'd be more… I dunno."

"What, happier?" said Amethyst. She reached out and pulled him into a bear hug, Pearl joining and squeezing him tightly. "I couldn't be any happier."

"Me neither," said Pearl.

"Aw, you guys," said Steven, and he started crying too. He flung his arms around both of them. "I'm so glad you're both okay. I thought Emerald was going to shatter you all. And Pearl…" his arm tightened around her neck.

"It's okay, Steven," Pearl said. "You fixed me and I'm fine, though I'm sure the method would have surprised Rose."

"Mom! That reminds me! Guys, my gem…" Pearl and Amethyst both pulled back to look at him, Garnet leaning in with interest. Looking at them all, however, he realized he couldn't tell them about his mother, about her being sealed away inside of his gem. For starters, he didn't even know if she was still alive in there, or just an illusion or memory. Even if she was real, if she could be awoken, he didn't know how to do it or if he even could without destroying himself, basically doing what his mother did for him, only in reverse. It would be another weight on the Gems and would only serve to ruin this moment.

And while he didn't wish to think badly of Pearl in the moment, how would she react to knowing they might be able to recover Rose, even at his expense?

"What is it?" asked Pearl, snapping him from his thoughts.

"I, uh… I figured out to regenerate from my gem!" he said, trying to sound proud to divert the subject. "I didn't have a body in there, and now I do. It was incredible!"

The gems laughed and complimented his ingenuity. Maybe he would tell them about mom someday, but not today.

For a while they did nothing but hug and exchange little remarks of astonishment and relief, just happy to be together.

After the initial shock lessened, Pearl took Steven's arm, lifting it and examining it. "It is astonishing," she said in awe, running her fingers down the length. "It's not a light projection. This is actual human flesh and bone. Did it grow from your Rose Quartz?"

"Maybe? I wasn't awake for it. I wonder what it looks like when I regenerate. Probably gross." A thought struck him. "Did I poof like you guys do?"

The gems exchanged looks. "Er, no," said Garnet. "Your body kind of… died."

Steven blinked. "You mean, like, the normal way? Brain and heart stopping and all that?"

Garnet nodded. "Exactly."

"So did my new body grow over my old one?"

There was a nervous, hissing intake of breath. "Well, no," said Amethyst slowly. "Your body wasn't exactly with your gem."

"It wasn't? Like, my body and gem were separated? But it's part of my body. I mean, unless someone cut it out, but who would do that?" His eyes fell on Pearl without conscious thought, and she blushed and looked away. "Aw, Pearl, no," he said, sounding grossed out.

"Wha? I, y-y-you, uh, wh—" she sputtered nonsensically, searching for some excuse. "I, it was, you know, the gem is still a Rose Quartz gem. When both it and your body stopped functioning, we took care of them in the traditional ways for both: for the gem, we enshrined it in a location I felt was reflective of the life it led—"

"Plus it was your own special hiding place," said Amethyst.

Pearl's blush deepened. "And the body we… well, we buried it."

"Wait," said Steven, frowning. "You mean my old body is buried out there somewhere, and now I have this one?" The Gems nodded. Steven looked weirded out. "Where did you bury me?" He held up a hand before they could answer. "Wait! I don't want to know. That's too weird. I never, ever want to know or see it. That's just too—" he shivered. "And you had time to bury me? How long was I gone?"

"Twelve days at least," said Garnet. "Certainly a few hours more, depending on how long ago you actually regenerated."

"Oh, so faster than Pearl?"

Amethyst laughed. "Very funny," said Pearl. "Maybe next time you can add on a few days, be _really_ precise with your regeneration." Then she leaned forward, touching his cheek. "Just try to make sure there isn't a next time, okay?"

Garnet cleared her throat. "Alright, that's enough for the moment. Steven, we'd better do the hard part." She hiked her thumb toward the bedroom door.

"Is dad in there?" Garnet nodded.

Amethyst and Pearl moved away, leaving Steven to stand in the middle of the room alone. "I'll get him out. Just stand there and look cute." Garnet looked him up and down and gave him a thumbs up. "Perfect." He blushed.

Garnet went to the door and knocked. "Greg? Can you come out here? We have a surprise for you." She put her ear to the door, but heard nothing. She sighed. "Excuse me for a moment." She summoned her gauntlet, aimed for just above the door handle, and delivered a powerful but reserved blow, breaking the locking mechanism completely and forcing the door to swing open. She strode into the room.

There was a shuffling of cloth and a muffled grunt. "Let me go, Garnet," said Greg, no urgency or force in his voice. "I was sleeping."

"We've got good news for you," said Garnet.

"Whatever it is can wait until never."

Garnet came back into view, her arms wrapped around Greg's middle as she carried him from the room. He wore only a pair of stained boxer shorts. His beard was unkempt and his hair had not been washed or combed in days. His eyes were baggy and red. He looked over his shoulder at Garnet and complained as she carried him. Garnet planted him down in the doorway and pointed past him. "Can that wait?" she asked.

Greg turned toward the main room, his eyes landing on Steven. "Hi, dad!" said Steven.

Greg stared at him, eyes half open, without any reaction. "Dad?" Steven looked nervously over at Amethyst and Pearl. "Uh, is dad alright?"

"He should be fine," said Pearl. She glanced at Garnet.

Garnet squeezed through the door beside Greg and examined his face. She waved a hand in front of him. "I think he's lost consciousness." He poked his cheek with her finger. His head fell against the door jamb, then he slid downwards and collapsed backwards in a heap. "Yep, definitely unconscious."

"Ah, geez," said Steven. "Poor guy. I'm gonna put him back to bed. Then I guess we need to talk about some things." He hauled his father up, his gem strength making the large man seem feather light.

"Right," said Garnet as Steven shuffled by with his father over his shoulder. "Now that the Crystal Gems are back together, it's about time we finish things with Emerald."


	18. The Plan

Pearl and Garnet were happy enough to sit in quiet discussion while the others ate. Amethyst sat next to Steven, while Greg and Connie sat across, neither one able to take their eyes off of him. To be fair, everyone took turns stealing glances his way as if to make sure his return wasn't some dream and they hadn't finally woken up. Steven barely noticed, busy as he was shoveling food into his mouth. The strawberries hadn't cut it, but this large dinner was more than filling.

Picking up Connie had been an experience. The Maheswaran's had been with Connie at Steven's funeral, so explaining everything to them was a trial in and of itself. After they had stopped screaming and Garnet had explained Steven's heretofore unknown ability to regenerate and they had screamed a tiny bit more, they had come to understand the situation.

Connie was naturally incredibly relieved to find Steven alive, to the point where her parents had to pointedly clear their throats before she released her hug. Not surprisingly, her relief had turned into wide-eyed destiny-child talk in seconds. She also wanted to talk about the funeral, but Steven was actively disinterested in the matter. She agreed it was probably super weird and let it go. The Maheswaran's had already prepared dinner but, given the circumstances, they had allowed Connie to go with the Gems to a restaurant to celebrate, declining Greg's offer to join. They expected her back in a couple or hours.

The Maheswaran's had also made it very clear: Connie was banned from whatever adventures the Gems were planning. Not only was whatever it was so dangerous that Steven had essentially died once already ("and who knows how many more times _that_ will happen," Mr. Maheswaran had added as a bit of black humor), but Connie had been injured as well. Of course, Steven's blood had ended up sealing the cut, but her bloody and torn nightgown told the whole story.

Greg had also been all tears and hugs once his initial stupefaction wore off. Now, as they ate, he merely stared at his son. While he was all eyes on Steven, his ears stayed glued to Pearl and Garnet, their low discussion of Emerald and her minions preventing him from enjoying himself.

As the last of the plates were being cleared away by the server, Garnet cleared her throat to draw everyone's attention. "It's time to address the elephant in the room. We need to discuss Emerald."

Greg sighed. This was the moment he was dreading. He pulled out his card and handed it to the waiter. "All one check, please. We're not going to order anything else, but we're going to need this table for another hour. If you leave us alone, I'll throw three hundred bucks on the tip." The waiter's eyes went wide and he took the card without a word. Greg turned back to Garnet. "Go ahead."

"Thank you, Greg. This is going to be all business so you can take Connie home if you'd like."

"I'm gonna be needed to finish payment," he said. "Besides, I'm sure Connie wants to hear what's up even if she won't be helping." Connie nodded enthusiastic agreement.

"Very well." Garnet folded her hands and leaned forward. "So we know that Emerald is still on Earth," she began, eyes wandering between the other people at the table. "She wasn't aware that she had, momentarily at least, completed her intended objective, and thus has stayed long past her welcome."

"She'd overstayed the second she landed," said Amethyst, picking rib meat from her teeth.

"Fair. Be that as it may, she's been sticking around. We know we've done significant damage to her Onyxes, but we don't know what other forces she has behind her. They still have two fully-equipped ships somewhere on the planet. Our first job is to find those, ascertain what other weapons and soldiers she can bring to bear, then spring our own trap on her."

"Do you think she'll fall for anything we can come up with?" asked Pearl skeptically.

"No," said Garnet. "I hold no illusions that we can set any effective traps of our own." She smiled slightly. "We can, however, use her own traps against her."

Pearl and Amethyst exchanged looks. "What ya got, G-Sweets?"

"It's obvious Emerald's method of locating gems is superior to our own. The trap she set with the honeypot of clusters was both ingenious and simple. I'm fairly certain the large pack we encountered just days before that was set up by Emerald as well, whether used for tracking or just another trap she decided against springing at the last moment. Keep in mind we didn't have Steven with us on that mission."

Pearl and Amethyst both nodded understanding. "Emerald isn't likely to try getting us with the same trick again," commented Amethyst.

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Pearl. "If she could only set one trap, it makes sense to set something completely new that we wouldn't see coming. However, if she has the resources for multiple traps, which she certainly does, then it wouldn't hurt to devote a few resources to another batch of honeypots. If she's as smart as Peridot thought she was, she will try to neither over- nor underestimate us. If we're idiots, we'll blunder right in again without thinking, but if we're smart, we'll avoid them. However, if we're _too_ smart, or think we are, we'll assume she wouldn't try that trap again, thus walking right into another one."

Garnet nodded. "More or less my thinking."

Amethyst shook her head, looking confused. "I guess I'll leave the subterfuge to you two."

"So you're going to set off her traps on purpose," said Connie.

Garnet snapped her fingers. "Bingo."

"And then what?"

"And then whatever it takes to find her. I'll ride an Onyx back to her ship like a horse if I have to. Then we take Emerald."

"We'll have to be more specific than that," said Pearl.

"If you know what the middle step of the plan should be, I'm all ears, because I haven't got a clue."

They fell to discussion in earnest. A dozen plans were suggested, discussed, and discarded. Some held promise but were beyond their means to execute, and some were ludicrous fantasy or wild assumptions. After nearly an hour of exchanging ideas, Garnet riding an Onyx to Emerald's ship was still surprisingly the strongest solution they had. In other words, they had no good ideas.

"It seems we still don't have any plans for the time being," said Garnet, standing. "Don't give up hope. We'll think of something eventually. We have to use the resources we have available. Let's head back to the hotel for now."

They paid and left, dropped Connie off, and headed back to base. In the hotel lobby, Greg asked for a change of rooms ("Lots of bad memories in that room, kiddo.") As they shuffled into their new digs and sat on the various chairs and couches scattered about the large room, they were still thinking of some potential solution to their problem, namely how to utilize what little they had to locate Emerald.

Eventually, Steven and Greg grew tired, said goodnight, and went to their room. When they woke up again in the early morning, the Gems were still in quiet discussion.

"Maybe you need more brains to pick, so to speak," suggested Greg. "Aren't Lapis and Peridot still held up in the temple?"

"Yes," said Pearl, "but it's something of a chore to get them to cooperate."

"Hey, you saved their lives. They owe you one."

"Something tells me they won't see it that way."

"Yeah," said Amethyst, "they'll probably blame us for getting them poofed and losing the barn."

"To be fair," said Garnet, "that was our fault."

"Peridot's smart," said Steven. "Maybe she can come up with something that we wouldn't. We might as well give it a try; we're not making any progress here. Plus, I think they've been cooped up in those bubbles for long enough."

Garnet smiled. "Alright, Steven. We'll go after you've eaten."

* * *

"You got us poofed," said Peridot.

"And it's your fault we can't go home to the barn," said Lapis.

"That's fair," said Sapphire, giving Amethyst a sidelong look. "Still, we appreciate what you did to protect Steven."

Lapis blushed slightly. "Of course. Anytime."

Pearl, Amethyst, Sapphire, Lapis, Peridot, and Steven sat in a circle on the floor of the Bubble Room. Ruby was back in the hotel with Greg, having stayed behind to send the others off in their bubbles.

Peridot summed it up. "So you get us destabilized, lose our dwelling, leave us locked up for two weeks, and now you want our assistance in fighting Emerald, the gem you couldn't defeat with your combined power?"

"We were separated at the time—" began Pearl.

"Yes," Sapphire interrupted. "You care for Steven's safety as well and Emerald will not leave until she has destroyed Steven's gem. This is happening one way or another, so the least you can do it help us gain the advantage."

Peridot crossed her arms and grumbled in irritation, but she also looked Steven's way with obvious concern in her features. "So what do you need?" she asked.

"Ideas," said Sapphire.

"Having Lapis smash things up wouldn't hurt either," said Amethyst.

"If you want to 'smash things up,'" said Lapis coolly, "then you can use Sugilite."

"Plus I doubt the Emeralds would leave their ships anywhere near water after Lazuli's previous display," Peridot added. She smiled self-satisfactorily. "However, if you have need of my vast and superior cognitive faculties, I suppose I could lend them to you for a time. Start from the beginning and tell me everything that's happened and I'll see what patterns emerge."

"'From the beginning' as in Ten arriving on Earth?" asked Steven.

"Unless it starts even earlier than that."

The Gems exchanged looks. That would take a while. They began with Ten's crash-landing on Earth, Steven and Pearl finding her, her past, her slow integration into the Gems, their visit to Peridot when Emerald's ship was first spotted, their scuffles with the clusters and corrupted gems, and their loss of the temple and barn. Pearl and Amethyst tried to hold back tears at the part where Amethyst stabbed Steven and he expended his last ounce of energy to repair Pearl's gem, but they both failed.

Each of the gems brought up bits of story the others had missed or had not been party to, and relatively soon everyone had a complete picture of everything that had happened.

"…and that's when I regenerated," Steven was saying.

"Hold on," said Peridot, who was now standing and pacing. "Go back a bit. This may be a tangentially related subject, but I'm curious about your regeneration. Was it significantly different from the normal gem regeneration process?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't know how you regenerate."

"Just describe your experience and we'll compare. We've all had to do it at least once."

"Okay. Well, I started with no body so I couldn't see or move around. I could kind of move my mind around, if that makes sense." Peridot nodded understanding, as did the others. "Okay, so that's normal, I guess. Anyway, I was really patient and calm in there, so I waited for a long time, but then I started exploring a bit. And then I felt someone really far away." At that, he saw a raised eyebrow from Peridot and similar reactions from the others. "Is that weird?"

"Perhaps," said Peridot. "Continue."

"I flew my mind over there and there was all this emotion and anger and, well, long story short, it was Jasper."

"Jasper?!" said Lapis.

"Yeah. She was in her gem, regenerating. You poofed her when you punched her off dad's boat."

"Good."

Peridot tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "So you could talk to a recovering gem while you were likewise recovering? Interesting."

Steven finished the story of his regeneration, leaving any detail of his crystallized mother out. From there, he talked about how he appeared in his mother's armory, went to the strawberry field, and was found by Ruby and Sapphire. The story passed to Sapphire as she talked about the Onyxes that came through the warp and how she escaped them, but it quickly wound to a close. When they were done, they fell silent to let Peridot mull over the information.

"I have a few ideas," she said at length, "but I don't think you are going to like any of them."

"That is what we were expecting," said Sapphire.

"First," Peridot held up a finger, "judging by the fact that Steven was able to communicate with Jasper while they were both regenerating, yet he didn't sense any of the other recovering gems, suggests both gems need to remain unbubbled. He could attempt to interrogate one of the captured gems we have to discern Emerald's ship's location."

"You mean one of those slathering, animalistic Onyxes?" Pearl clarified.

"Unless you captured anything more sane or articulate."

"And the Onyx would have to be free from its bubble, meaning it could regenerate at any time, nigh instantaneously?"

"Yes."

"And Steven would have to be in his gem as well, meaning his body would have to die again?"

"I told you you weren't going to like it."

"We'll pass on that one," said Sapphire. "What are your other ideas?"

"Fine. Number two might work as well. Steven's tale of his attempts to cure the corrupted, uh, whatever you called it—"

"Centipeetle," Steven supplied.

"Right, that thing. Take what you've learned from that and try to cure an Onyx. See if you can get any information out of it."

"I dislike that this idea still requires releasing an Onyx inside the temple," said Sapphire.

"Especially without Ten, Garnet, or any water for Lapis," said Amethyst. "That leaves just me and Pearl to handle everything while Steven's trying to kiss it."

"Actually," said Peridot, "you should probably try it with a mixture of spit and blood, as was the case with Pearl's repair. That might be the most potent method. And you said something about a waterway exit, so Lazuli actually _can_ help with your Onyx."

"We're not letting that thing anywhere near the exit," said Sapphire.

"Oh, come on. It's not like it's going to find it."

"No. If we are going to put anyone at risk, it will be only ourselves."

Peridot huffed. "Fine. Have it your way. Let's pick an Onyx and get this experiment going."

"I suppose this experiment will be quick, at least," said Sapphire. "I'll grab one." She leapt up and took a bubble in her hands, floating gently down with it. "Everyone get in position and be ready to act when I release it." Pearl and Amethyst pulled out their weapons, and Steven his shield. "Steven, please be quick. Ready?"

"Wait, wait," said Steven. "I need to be bleeding. Is there something sharp around here?" He looked around the room, but with the sole exception of the edges of the steps, the room was all smooth walls and tubes. "Oh!" he cried, pointing to Pearl's spear. "There we go! Pearl, give me a little cut on my hand."

"Wha?" she said. "Me?"

"Yeah, just a little one, right here." He lifted his hand, palm upward.

"Uh…" Pearl was obviously flustered. "Isn't there some other way? Don't human noses bleed if they pick them?"

"Come on, Pearl. It's just a little cut. I'll be okay, I promise."

Pearl looked between the others, visibly sweating. Sapphire urged her on with a pushing motion. "I suppose if I must." She tilted her spear and place the blade on Steven's hand, letting it sit there. She stood there for a moment, doing nothing.

"Uh, Pearl? You have to, you know, cut me?"

Pearl's hand shook, her breathing heavy. "Yes, I'm doing it. I just need a second," she said. She gritted her teeth, closing her eyes and turning away, the spear rattling against his hand. She pulled back suddenly with an explosive grunt. "I can't do it! I can't hurt Steven!"

"That's okay," said Steven, holding up his hand. "I cut myself on it when you weren't looking." A thin line of crimson shone on his palm, a small trickle of blood seeping down. Pearl stared at it a moment, then promptly fainted into Amethyst's arms.

"Get a hold of yourself, man," said Amethyst in disgust. "We got an Onyx to take care of."

Pearl took a shaky breath and righted herself. Her knees wobbled, but she raised her spear. "Right. Okay, I'm ready."

Steven licked his cut, mixing the spit and blood, and the wound sealed. "I'm ready, too."

"Very well," said Sapphire. "Then here we go." She squeezed and the bubble popped, spilling the Onyx gem to the floor. She swiftly ran over to Peridot and Lapis, who stood across the room.

"If this goes badly, I'm going right to the waterway exit," said Lapis.

"Hush," said Sapphire.

The other three waited around the gem. It didn't take long before it began to glow, rise into the air, and manifest.

"Don't forget the gem is on the forehead," said Pearl as the body starting taking shape.

"I remember," said Steven.

"A little preemptive strike," said Amethyst, lashing her whip around the still-forming creature's mouth to hold it shut. As the Onyx took the proper shape, she said, "Go for it, dude."

"Okay. I hope this works." He ran forward, slapping his hand onto the gem. The creature, little more than a silhouette at this point, opened its mouth, a piercing, high-pitched noise emitting from it. Then it's body burst, the gem tinkling to the ground.

"W-What?" said Steven, looking at his hand, then over to Pearl. "What happened?"

"That was… odd," said Pearl. "Even if it didn't work, I certainly didn't expect _that_ to happen." She bent down and picked up the gem. As she lifted it, she frowned, turning it over in her fingers. She gave a meaningful look to Sapphire, then turned to Steven. "Well, it was worth a try. Go find some water and wash your hand."

"Uh, okay," he said, still confused. "Your room is through there, right Amethyst?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty straight shot. You know the way."

As Steven wandered out of sight, Pearl walked over to Sapphire and the others, waving for Amethyst to follow her. "What do you sense in this thing?" she whispered as they gathered together.

Sapphire and Peridot both touched the gem, then exchanged surprised looks. "Nothing," they said.

"What? Like, the Onyx is gone from the gem?" said Amethyst. She lowered her voice. "You don't think Steven destroyed it, do you?"

"Potentially," said Peridot. "You may recall that one of my theories about the Onyxes is that they are intrinsically corrupted. If I was correct in my assumption and Steven disrupted said corruption, even a little bit, it might have destroyed this gem."

The Gems exchanged worried looks. "Never tell Steven?" suggested Amethyst.

"My lips are sealed," said Sapphire. "If Peridot's theory is correct, this gem was beyond all help. On the bright side, he may be closer than ever to curing the corruption."

"Now is hardly the time to be experimenting," said Peridot, "though perhaps after Emerald is taken care of, you can try to cure one of these gems again. Let me know how that goes. Hopefully Steven doesn't explode another one."

Pearl frowned at the comment. "Be sensitive."

As Steven returned, hand freshly washed, Pearl loudly said, "So that's two down. What other methods do you have for finding Emerald?"

Peridot grimaced. "Just one, though personally it is my least favorite."

"Not like we have a lot of choices, Peri," said Amethyst.

"True. Since worse has come to worst, we'll have to 'fall' into one of Emerald's traps."

"We were thinking much the same before," said Sapphire. "However, our ideas were less than fruitful. What do you have in mind?"

Peridot got straight to the point. "We need to access one of those command consoles they use to hypnotize the clusters."

"You can do that?" asked Amethyst.

"Of course I can. But that's the problem: _I_ can. Which means you need to take me with you as we blindly walk into one of these obvious traps, if they even exist."

"My hunch is that they do," said Sapphire.

"Hunches are dandy; get me some facts. Anyway, these consoles will be tied to the ship somehow, either receiving a signal or sending information, whether data streams or surveillance. If I can get close and gain access to that signal, I might be able to locate at least one of the Emerald ships. Chances are, that ship will have an Emerald on it, fused or not."

"That shouldn't be too difficult," said Pearl.

"You didn't let me finish. To access that information, I will need a gem data transfer unit of the latest standard, of which we have none. I _had_ one that I took from the remnants of my ship some time ago, but I was using it in—you guessed it—my atmospheric breach surveillance advance warning system. The one that Ten broke and that Garnet has been threatening me to fix."

"She wasn't threatening you," said Sapphire. "She asked nicely."

"I seem to recall a hand around my throat."

"It was on your shoulder."

"Be that as it may, the system is not only broken, but currently resides in the barn, which we have no access to at the moment."

"So we need to bust in and get it?" said Amethyst.

"Yes. It will be guarded, probably not too heavily considering the casualties her forces have suffered, but it will definitely be under watchful eyes and you can expect more soldiers to get there in short order. If I can get inside and detach five connections points, the unit should break into three easy-to-carry pieces. Well, easier, anyway."

"Can't you just take the data unit thing?"

"I need the data transfer unit to get the data out of Emerald's console, but once I have it, I still need my surveillance console to read, decode, and interpret the data. We could potentially use the Kindergarten's computer, but it runs on ancient software and I'm not sure I can update it to sufficiently translate the data. Plus, I would need to craft an adapter for the data transfer unit and I am frankly not that well versed in five-thousand-year-old technology, so it would take some time. No, my advance warning console is the most reasonable choice."

"And once you have the console, you still need parts."

"And time to fix it, yes. That will give you guys time to locate one of those honeypots to throw ourselves at like senseless clods."

"So we have to storm the barn," said Steven, "get the surveillance thingamajig, get the data doodad, find a honey deal-y, and steal all the stuff in it."

"I wouldn't have used any of those words, but you are more or less correct." Peridot clenched a fist. "If everything goes according to plan and Emerald doesn't get wind of it or shut us down, then we have a very real chance of launching an assault of our own and taking her down for good."

Pearl shrugged. "It sounds like a longshot, but what other choice do we have?"

Sapphire put a hand on Peridot's shoulder. "Thank you. You're going to be taking some serious risks for us," she said.

Peridot blushed. "Unfortunately, with Emerald's goal being Steven's shattering, I can't sit back and watch anymore."

"Selfish," said Sapphire, "but appreciated." She turned to Lapis. "And you?"

Lapis shrugged. "Same, I guess. I can help out at the barn at least, plus I'll fly where you need me to fly, but if Peridot's right and there's no water near the ship, I won't be much use there."

"That's fine," said Sapphire. "We appreciate your help, both of you." She looked at the others. "If we're all set here, we'd best start heading back to base. We need to put this plan into motion."

* * *

Steven hustled around the hotel room, grabbing food he would need during their trip to the barn. As he was jamming a bag of Chaaaaps into his backpack, Greg walked into the room behind him.

"Going back out already, huh?"

Steven could tell by his tone that his father wasn't thrilled with the idea. "I have to, dad. Emerald is here because of me. I can't just let the Gems do all the fighting. They might need me."

"I know, it's just…" he sighed and sat on bed, "when I thought you were dead, those were some dark times for me, Shtoo-ball. You've only been back for a day and you're already heading out again. I need some time. I want to spend some time with my son. I don't want to think about you being in danger again, maybe never coming back for real this time."

Steven stopped packing and looked at his father. He looked terribly old and tired, even after having cleaned himself up. There was still a malaise about him, as if the fact that Steven was alive still hadn't sunk in yet and a piece of him was stuck in the past where Steven wasn't here. Greg didn't enjoy Steven's scrutiny, picking up his guitar and strumming on it absently to divert his attention.

"I know you're worried, dad," said Steven, "but I'm worried too. That's why I'm doing this. Emerald wants to hurt me. She wants to hurt Pearl and Amethyst and Garnet, Peridot and Lapis." Solemnly, he added, "And Ten as well, if she's still in one piece. It's not just for me; it's for them, too."

"Look, they mean a lot to me, too," Greg said, "but you mean a lot more to me. Heck, you mean the world to me."

He strummed his guitar, playing a pleasant and simple tune.

" _You mean the world to me,"_

"Aw, come on, dad," said Steven, embarrassed.

" _You mean the world to me."_

"I mean it, kiddo."

" _Without you what would my life be?_

 _You mean the world to me."_

"I really need to pack," said Steven, blushing at the attention and honesty.

"You're not getting off that easy," said Greg, a big, doofy grin on his face.

" _Born eight pounds and fourteen ounces_

 _Now your whole existence trounces_

 _Everything I'll do_

 _And_

 _Everything I'll see_

' _Cause_

 _You mean the world to me,_

 _You mean the world to me."_

Greg stood, strutting around the room as Steven tried hard not to smile while he packed, but he found it impossible.

" _If your adventure causes you to fear_

 _I just want you to know that I'll always be here_

' _Cause_

 _You mean the world to me."_

" _You mean the world to me,"_

Steven and Greg turned, seeing an embarrassed Amethyst standing in the door way.

"Not you too, Amethyst," said Steven, though he looked very happy with that fact.

" _I know sometimes I could do more to show it_

 _But I'm telling you now so I know that you know it:_

 _You mean the world to me,"_

"Yes, you do," chimed in Greg.

" _You mean the world to me."_

Pearl spun into the room, dancing around Steven, while Garnet leaned against the door jamb.

" _In_

 _One_

 _Hand we have the Earth;"_

Pearl swept Steven up and spun him around.

" _In_

 _The_

 _Other is your Birth;"_

She handed Steven to Garnet, moving her hands like a scale balancing itself out.

" _I_

 _Can't_

 _Choose between their worth."_

Garnet spun Steven around so he faced her.

" _Please know that we always think of you_

 _And we want you to know: we love you"_

Greg and the Gems sang together.

" _You mean the world to me,_

 _You mean the world to me."_

Greg played the song to a close. Steven sniffed, trying to keep himself busy with his backpack so they wouldn't see him crying, even though he knew they could tell he was.

"Nice job, guys," said Greg. "I think you really nailed the theme." He let his worry show a bit as he added, "Make sure you bring him back in one piece, okay?"

"That's what we want, too," said Garnet.

Lapis poked her head in through the doorway, Peridot behind her. "What were you guys doing?"

Greg said, "Just singing a song to let Steven know how we feel about him."

"Huh." Lapis looked at Steven. "Shim Sham, Shuh-blops, you're just the tops." She vanished back through the doorway.

"Uh, she's still new at the whole 'music' thing," said Peridot. "Anyway, if you're done fooling around, the sooner we retrieve my console, the better."

"Right," said Garnet. She and the other Gems left the room. Steven picked up his backpack and began to follow, but his father put an arm in his way. Reaching down, he pulled Steven into a big hug.

"Be safe, little buddy," he said.

"I will, dad."

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

Greg let Steven down. Steven walked from the room, waving goodbye to his dad. Greg waved back until Steven was out of the hotel.

"Be safe," he said to the empty room.


	19. Song: You Mean the World To Me

**You Mean the World to Me**

 **Greg:**

 _You mean the world to me,_

 _You mean the world to me._

 _Without you what would my life be?_

 _You mean the world to me._

 _Born eight pounds and fourteen ounces_

 _Now your whole existence trounces_

 _Everything I'll do_

 _And_

 _Everything I'll see_

' _Cause_

 _You mean the world to me,_

 _You mean the world to me._

 _If your adventure causes you to fear_

 _I just want you to know that I'll always be here_

' _Cause_

 _You mean the world to me._

 **Amethyst:**

 _You mean the world to me._

 _I know sometimes I could do more to show it_

 _But I'm telling you now so I know that you know it:_

 _You mean the world to me,_

 _You mean the world to me._

 **Pearl:**

 _In_

 _One_

 _Hand we have the Earth;_

 _In_

 _The_

 _Other is your Birth;_

 _I_

 _Can't_

 _Choose between their worth._

 **Garnet:**

 _Please know that we always think of you_

 _And we want you to know: we love you_

 **All:**

 _You mean the world to me_ _,_

 _You mean the world to me._


	20. Finding Emerald

The barn sat below in the distance. "Are you excited, Peridot?" Steven asked.

"By certain definitions, though I doubt by the one you mean."

"Shh!" hissed Amethyst. "We're supposed to be watching for guards."

"I don't see anything," said Pearl.

"Nor do I," said Garnet. "Let's wait for Lapis."

They ducked their heads back into the thick copse of trees they had chosen as a hiding spot and waited. The beating of wings overhead announced Lapis's arrival. She swooped downwards through the treetops, ignoring the snagging branches and leaves that clung to her.

"Anything?" asked Garnet.

Lapis shrugged. "I didn't see anything from the air, but there are plenty of places nearby where a dozen gems could be hiding."

"Or they could be in the barn itself," Peridot added.

Lapis nodded. "It sucks that we did all that work on this place and now we can't even go home to it. Anytime you guys want to fix that is great by me."

"I suppose we owe you that much," said Pearl. "Still, we aren't going to rush this. Any ideas, Garnet?"

Garnet considered. "I say we rush it."

Pearl frowned. "Are you just saying that to be funny, or…?"

"No. The sooner we get in and out, the better. If there are any soldiers inside, we dispatch them quickly and get that machine out before reinforcements arrive. Judging by the surroundings, we might get hit quickly if they come from that forest," she indicated the trees across the road from where they usually drove in with Greg. "If they don't, we will have several minutes to take care of what we need to."

"Lazuli, would you mind keeping an eye out front for us?"

"No problem, Peridot. I think enough of those monsters have been through our home as it is."

"In that case, we're ready to go." Peridot grinned broadly and raised a fist in a threatening manner. "We'll show them that they've broken into the wrong home!"

"Sure, let's do that," said Lapis.

"No use waiting," said Garnet. "In and out. Let's go."

"Right," said the others. They burst from their cover and sped towards the barn, Garnet taking the natural lead, Pearl, Amethyst, and Steven behind, Lapis with Peridot above. Though they kept from shouting or crying out, they still made considerable noise as they sprinted across the grass. They kept their eyes open and alert, waiting for Emerald and her crew to spring from any nook or cranny along the way, but they did not. They reached the barn without incident.

The lack of foes raised all sorts of warning flags among the group, who threw cautious looks out into the wilderness and at one another. Disregarding the conspicuous absence of Onyxes, they surrounded the front door of the barn. Garnet jammed her hands between the doors and pried them sharply open in one smooth action, then pulled her arms back in, getting ready for an attack.

But none came. The barn was devoid of soldiers.

"Uh… I'll… watch from the roof?" said Lapis. Peridot looked at her and shrugged. Lapis took off and perched above, keeping a lookout. "Everything looks calm," she called down.

"This is… not what I expected," said Peridot nervously. She hoisted the bag of tools she was carrying. "I guess I'll disassemble the advanced warning system. Steven, may I borrow your shielding abilities? If there are no soldiers, there might be traps instead."

"Sure," he said. He stood next to Peridot and wrapped his bubbled around them.

"You might want to step outside in case something explodes," Peridot told the Gems.

As they moved outside, they closed the door behind them and exchanged concerned looks. "Something's up," said Amethyst.

"Definitely," said Garnet, "but what?"

Pearl cupped her chin. "Assuming the console doesn't explode—" she paused as they heard Peridot opening the hatch of the machine and crawl inside, seemingly safe and unexploded, "—then perhaps a tracking device?"

"That's logical, though having guards here would do more to throw us off the scent of a tracking device. No guards at all is highly suspicious."

"Maybe it's just a mind game," said Amethyst. "Emerald doesn't really respect our intelligence, so maybe she's messing with us."

"After losing track of Steven the first time, I think she's done playing around."

Amethyst shrugged. "Then I got nothing."

"Same," said Pearl, clearly frustrated.

"Still nothing," Lapis took the opportunity to call down. "Even if no one comes, I'm still not moving back in until Emerald is taken care of." After a moment of silence, she added, "I'm going to get a higher look," and promptly took off.

"This is starting to creep me out," said Amethyst. They reopened the barn doors. Steven waved at them nervously, himself standing with his shield out and his eyes alert. Peridot clanked about inside her machine. Lapis swooped back down and landed lightly.

"Nothing," Lapis mumbled, her voice barely audible from the roof.

Peridot scrambled from the machine. "All the connectors are disassembled. Let's get this thing up and out of here. This situation gives me the creeps."

"Do you think Emerald is tracking it?" asked Garnet.

"If she is, it's too late now. I have no doubt she knows we're here, watching from somewhere. We can't leave the machine for risk that, knowing we came for it, she'll destroy it. The fact that she hasn't destroyed it already or removed the data unit suggests she left it here for us for some reason, though I do not understand why as I saw no obvious traps inside."

"No _obvious_ traps?"

"Due to concerns you no doubt share, I'm not fond of the idea of staying longer than necessary."

"Check again."

"Gah! Fine. I'll take another look. Just keep an eye on things out here." As she was turning to head back into the barn, the distant howling of an Onyx rolled over the grassland. Instantly, every Gem was holding their weapon. "I told you! Put those weapons away and grab the console, you clods!"

"And hurry up about it," said Lapis. "I'll hold them off if you need."

"Right," said Garnet. "Thanks. Steven, Amethyst, and I will each grab a piece. Pearl and Lapis are on defense. Peridot, try to keep up."

"If I can't keep up with Amethyst carrying two hundred pounds of equipment, then I'm really in a sorry state."

"Shut up," suggested Amethyst, hoisting a section of the console. Steven and Garnet followed suit. Steven lifted his section above his head, it being too large to carry in front of him without running blind, and found that even with his gem strength, the machine was uncomfortably heavy. They had hours of walking ahead if they wanted to get back to their hotel base. He hoped they lost the Onyxes before his arms gave out.

Lapis crouched on the roof. "I still don't see anything, but it shouldn't be long. I'll distract them when they come. I'll meet you back at the hotel."

"Be careful," said Peridot.

"I think I'd have to mess up pretty bad to get caught by an Onyx, but okay."

The others hustled out of the barn with the equipment, Pearl spinning this way and that with her spear at the ready, prepared to intercept anything that came their way. Peridot huffed behind them, her short legs working furiously to keep pace.

They ran for nearly half an hour but never heard signs of pursuit. They slowed to a stop and Steven put down his section of the console, exhausted.

"Whew, I need a break," he said, leaning against it.

"Are you alright, Steven?" asked Pearl.

"If we walk the rest of the way, I'll be fine."

"If you want, I can carry that for a bit."

"No, thanks. I trust you more to protect me than the other way around." Pearl beamed proudly at that.

Steven stretched his back and looked into the sky. After a minute, he felt good enough to go again. As he reached for the console, he heard the telltale sound of Lapis approaching. They waited for her to land, a puzzled frown on her face.

"Weren't you going to stay behind and run distraction?" Peridot asked.

Lapis shook her head. "No one came near the barn at all."

"Really? It's been more than long enough for an Onyx to cover the distance from that howl to the barn."

"It's been long enough for them to go around the barn and catch up with you guys. I got worried and decided to come in case you needed help, but I didn't see anything on the way and there's nothing here either."

"I told you Emerald was playing mind games with us," said Amethyst.

Garnet and Pearl exchanged worried looks. "We continue on at a walk," said Garnet. "Eyes peeled." They turned and made their way back to base, weapons close at hand.

* * *

Peridot fastened the last screw on the console. She looked around the hotel room at the others. Though the first step of the plan had gone off without a hitch, the ease with which they acquired the console and the lack of any hostile gems during the mission precluded any celebration; everyone was too suspicious, convinced that they had stumbled into some sort of trap that they didn't understand.

"So," said Peridot, "when do we start step two?"

"I guess as soon as possible," said Pearl.

"I'll start searching for a honeypot," said Garnet. She moved to a corner of the room and sat down, peering into possible futures.

Peridot looked at the other Gems. "How long does this usually take?"

Amethyst shrugged. "Could be hours; could be days. Hard to tell with future vision. Get comfy."

Garnet stood suddenly.

"Garnet?" said Pearl, surprised. "What's the matter?"

"I found one," she said without preamble.

"Already?!"

"Ten minutes away if we take our time." Garnet looked meaningfully at the others. "It's too close. She knows we're in the area."

"She must have known before we left to retrieve the console, otherwise she would never have enough time to set it up. She's moving faster than we are."

"We can't move any faster!" Amethyst shouted in frustration. "What's she got on us?"

"A few hundred troops," Peridot ticked off her fingers, "top of the line technology, absolute obedience from her soldiers, time, patience, the backing of the Diamonds—"

"Okay, okay, shut up already. Geez."

"We go now," said Garnet. "If we move immediately, we might surprise her and access that console right under her nose."

"I highly doubt that," opined Peridot.

"Well we have to try. It will be next to impossible to move the console without being seen if she knows where we are. If she's closing in, then we're low on time. Follow me."

Instead of going to the exit, she opened the door to Greg's room. Greg was lying on the bed, watching television, and sat up as they entered. "What's going on?" he asked.

"You're coming with us, Greg," said Garnet. "It's too dangerous to leave you here alone."

"Whoa, hang on, I don't do dangerous gem stuff. Last time I did, a certain somebody broke my leg."

"He means me," said Lapis.

"We don't have a choice," said Garnet. "There are gems within minutes of here. Peridot, grab that data unit and let's go."

They gathered their things in Greg's room. "Why are we setting up in here?" asked Amethyst.

"Just follow me," said Garnet. She summoned her gauntlets and ran toward the wall, leaping into it fists first, bursting straight through. A hint of sunlight shone from above as the room was exposed to the outside air. She flew like a missile across the gap between their hotel and the taller building next door, smashing through that wall as well before coming to a stop. She beckoned for the others to join her.

"I guess the alleyway is the least likely place to be watched," said Pearl as she picked Greg up. "I still feel like this was going to have been for nothing."

"It's going to be for a few thousand dollars out of my bank account," said Greg. "It's expensive hanging around you guys."

"Sorry about that. Hold on, now." She leapt through the hole in the wall, Greg screaming in terror as they soared over the alleyway below to the next building. They landed smoothly and she let Greg down, who immediately grabbed his chest.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" He turned and saw a man in a suit sitting behind a desk, staring open-mouthed at the people in his office. "Uh, hi. Greg Universe." He offered the man a card with his business information on it. "Sorry about my friends. I'll pay for the damages. Just give me a call in… let's say a week." The man took the card and stared at it in shock.

Amethyst, Steven, Peridot, and Lapis came through. "Let's keep moving," said Garnet. She took off through the office, Greg and the other gems trailing behind.

"Garnet," said Pearl, dodging around startled men and women in business attire, "this seems like an extreme measure to take considering we're not currently being followed."

"We're as good as," said Garnet. "She's watching. We need to act quickly before she can close the snare."

"That's great and all," said Peridot, "but I don't even have the parts I need to finish the repairs."

Garnet paused, gesturing to an office full of computers, printers, copiers, and miscellaneous electronic items. "Will this do?"

Peridot blinked and looked around. Her hand unconsciously went to open her tool bag, but she stopped. "Potentially, but I can't both access the console and scavenge for parts, especially if we're in a hurry."

"Not a problem. Amethyst?"

"What, just start taking stuff to the hotel?" Garnet nodded. Amethyst laughed. "Really? Just straight-up stealing?"

"We really shouldn't be stealing things," said Steven.

Greg sighed. "I'll be paying for them. Take what you need and hurry on back. Just don't get caught by Emerald's hounds alone, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful," said Amethyst, half-listening. She was gleefully focused on what things she could take.

Garnet didn't wait any longer, leaping through a closed window and bursting through the next building.

Pearl looked back and forth between the devastation being caused by Garnet and the greedy, manic eyes on Amethyst. "Things are getting a bit strange, aren't they?"

"You know what they say about strange times and strange measures," said Peridot.

"Not how the saying goes, Peri," said Amethyst.

"I'm paraphrasing."

Amethyst snorted. "You were _Peri-_ phrasing?"

Peridot flushed angrily. "Don't you have some looting to do?!"

"Boy, do I!" She grabbed a photocopier larger than she was and lifted it with ease, running off with it and giggling madly, stunned office workers watching in futility.

Lapis watched her go. "Uh… we should probably follow Garnet."

"Right," said Steven. "Let's go!

* * *

The Crystal Gems arrived just as the mesmerized cluster gems went berserk.

The Gems ran out of the bed and breakfast whose roof they have crashed through moments before and into the park where the clusters were gathered. Curious onlookers, moments before gathered about the strange creatures and taking selfies with them, were now sprinting away in every direction as the clusters blindly lashed out at those around them.

"Emerald must have shut off the signal," said Peridot.

"Is it because she knew we were close," asked Pearl, "or was this meant to draw us out in the first place?"

"I don't know! What I do know is that you need to protect me while I access the terminal. Let's hope she didn't completely sever all connections or I won't be able to acquire any locational coordinates, and then it's goodbye any short-term chances of finding her ship."

"No going back now," said Garnet. She leapt forward, the rest of the gems following after, and they waded into the rampaging clusters, striking as they went, clearing a path for Peridot.

Peridot reached the console and examined it, running a hand along the edges and sides.

"What are you doing?" asked Steven.

"If the last console wasn't trapped, this one certainly is." She checked the side hatch but found no obvious indicators of tinkering. She popped it open, sticking her head inside and looking around with a small flashlight. She quickly scanned the dozens of wires running through the machine, taking mental stock and figuring what was what and which led where. She nearly brushed past the main button panel without a second glance, but her eyes quickly returned there.

"Hold on," she mumbled to herself. She ran her hand along the wires plugging into the rear of the panel. "Sixty-four volts, common rail, common rail, seven-point-four volts… then what is wire number five?" She followed the extra unknown wire from the panel that split from the other four. It vanished behind a metal plate that was bolted in place. Peridot grabbed a wrench and went to work, trying to ignore the sounds of screaming, snarling, and poofing gems that echoed distractingly loud within the confines of the console box.

Unfastening the last bolt, the panel dropped away. Peridot let a smug smile play across her face as she saw the wire connected to a Gem Destabilizer Core and a small arming device. Had Peridot touched the front panel without checking for traps first, it would have given off a blast wave that would have reduced them all to their gems and probably caused Steven some significant pain. Instead, Peridot snipped the wire and disarmed the trap.

Proud of herself—and slightly annoyed that the others could not be party to her brilliance—Peridot slid back out of the console, went to the front, plugged in the data unit, and powered the console on. It quickly came to life, its myriad lights and screens flashing. Peridot went swiftly about her work, running the processes necessary to capture packet information as bundles of data passed through the device and were sent off somewhere far away. Hopefully that faraway place was the ship they were looking for.

As she tapped a screen to focus the data collection to only what she deemed necessary, one of the monitors flashed. Emerald stared through the monitor, looking pleased.

"Ah, the Peridot," said Emerald, almost laughing.

"Emerald," said Peridot by way of greeting. She had too much work to do to pay Emerald any mind and kept her eyes on the console.

Emerald did not seem put off in the least. "I was hoping you would come along and meddle with things. It seems I was right."

"Look," said Peridot, eyes narrowing in annoyance, "we get it; you're menacing and clever and whatever. Can you just shut up for a minute so I can do what I need to do?"

Emerald laughed. "Oh, my! You've been trained to be cheeky by those Crystal Gems, haven't you?" Peridot took a moment to roll her eyes. She typed in a few commands, trying to cut off Emerald's connection, but they were as futile as she thought they would be.

Behind Peridot, Steven crashed down on top of a cluster mutant shield-first, crushing its body and poofing it. As he rolled to his feet, he turned and saw the monitor in front of Peridot. "Oh, man, is that Emerald?"

"The Steven!" Emerald hissed, delight all across her features. She turned and shouted off-screen. "Detonate the console!"

Peridot's eyes went wide. She turned and ran to Steven. "Bubble! Now!" Then she realized her mistake. She turned back toward the console and reached out. "My data unit!"

Peridot saw only the briefest smile from Emerald before the console exploded, Steven's bubble coming up just in time to take the brunt of the force. The fireball was powerful enough to send the bubble bouncing away, causing the pair to tumble head-over-heels inside.

They slammed into a wall and the bubble popped around them, causing them to fall into a heap.

Steven sat up, rubbing his aching body. "Peridot?"

Peridot jumped up. "We have to get back to our headquarters immediately!"

"But the data thing—"

"I know. Let's go!"

"Okay. I'll go grab the others—"

"No, leave them here. It will keep Emerald off our trail. Pick me up and get me back as fast as you possibly can."

The gems were still busy with the clusters, but Steven caught Garnet's eye. He pointed to himself and Peridot and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. She nodded understanding, then leapt back into the fray.

"Okay," he said. "I got you." He grabbed Peridot and put her under his arm. Turning back towards the bed and breakfast, he sprinted in, then leapt up through the broken roof toward the next building.

* * *

Steven and Peridot ran into Amethyst coming back for more electronics. "Yo, P-pod, I think I got enough stuff for you."

"Fantastic, but let's keep moving. These humans look angry and violent."

"We did kind of wreck their building."

"They'll get over it."

They ran through the last office, leaping back toward the hotel. Steven put Peridot down as they landed. "So what do we do now?"

"I get to work on fixing the console, just as we planned."

"But we lost the data unit when the console exploded," said Steven.

"On the contrary." Peridot opened her hand, revealing the tiny, metallic square that was the gem data unit. To Steven's amazed look, she said, "I snatched it out of harm's way with my psychokinetic powers at the last second. Pretty great, right?"

"That's awesome! I didn't know you could move things that quickly."

"Neither did I, frankly. Heat of the moment, I guess."

"Why didn't you tell me at the park?"

"In case Emerald was somehow watching or listening. The last thing she saw was me reaching for the data unit, so she probably thinks it destroyed. We have the advantage, now! I think."

"So the clusters were a trap, right?" asked Amethyst

"Right," said Peridot. "The console was also rigged to both destabilize us and explode. I didn't even think to look for a second trap once I disarmed the first."

"Was that what all the mind games were for? To throw you off of _that?_ "

"I don't think so. It was still too simple. Maybe Garnet was right and we were able to get in and out of her trap before she could complete it. I don't know. I can't make sense of this Emerald."

Peridot looked around at all the things Amethyst had 'acquired' from the offices. "With some minor adjustments, I should be able to find what I need here. Don't let your guard down. The others should be on their way soon." She promptly set to work breaking down office supplies in search of parts.

Amethyst sat down on a couch and slung her arm over the back. "Amethyst, how can you relax at a time like this?" asked Steven. "I'm all nerves right now."

"Why? We're just sitting here."

"I know, but we just came out of one fight and we've got another one ahead."

"Yeah, but no fighting now. Might as well chill."

Steven held his shield tight. "I don't think I can be that chill."

"Hey, whatever boats your float."

"That's not how it goes," said Peridot.

"Yeah, but at least when I screw them up, it's because I'm joking." There was a thump in the bedroom. "And now the others are back. See, Steven? You got worried for nothing."

"Maybe, but we should still be ready for anything." Steven opened the door to the bedroom and was immediately tackled by an Onyx, the gems cutting up his shirt and arms. He let out a scream in surprise as we went down. The Onyx snapped its jaws at his face, barely a moment from biting Steven, when Amethyst's whip cracked out, catching the creatures around the head. With a sudden jerk, it was yanked off of Steven, pulled away in a wide arc, and slammed through a window halfway across the room, sending it yowling downward into the streets below.

Steven sat up and looked at Amethyst, who was still half-reclined on the couch. She looked at him, just as surprised as he was, then looked at her own whip, then at the window. "Holy smokes, did I just do that?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so."

"Oh, man, that was _awesome!_ Did you see how smooth that arc was? I nailed it like a boss. And, like, how I was still sitting back and everything? That must have looked so cool. Ugh, I wish the others could have seen it. Heck, I wish _I_ could have seen it."

"Amethyst, I don't think now's the time."

"Yeah, yeah, fine." She stood up and lifted her couch, slamming the bedroom door closed and shoving the couch in front of it. She started grabbing other furniture and adding it to the barricade, then blocked off the main exit as well. "Hopefully they can't get through the windows."

There was a crash above, followed by scraping steps. Steven gave Amethyst a worried look. "We're on the top floor, aren't we?"

"Ayup." Feet bounded down the hallway and started pounding on the main door. Amethyst pulled out a second whip. "P-dots, how you doing?"

"I have some appropriate parts, though I still need to make some sensitive adjustments. Then I can get to installing."

"How long, Dots?! How long?!"

"I might be able to manage fifteen minutes. Don't rush me."

"I kind of have to!" There was a loud thump from above, swiftly followed by a dozen more.

"It sounds like they're trying to break through," said Steven. "Peridot, if we have to move the console, can we?"

"Technically, yes. It has an internal power source so it could still operate while on the move, but I would suggest avoiding that scenario if at all possible. From what I've seen, Amethyst would have to do the lifting, as moving the unit in once piece would be far too stressful for your body. With that and the shapeshifting—"

There was a thunderous crash. The ceiling above them bowed in slightly before snapping back to its original shape. "And we're off to the races," said Amethyst, rushing over to the console and slamming the side hatch closed, sealing Peridot inside.

"Hey!" Peridot shouted.

"No time. We have to move." She beckoned Steven over. "Bubble up. I'm gonna toss you through the roof. As soon as you get through, do that thing where you expand the bubble real fast and blow them away, alright? Surprise bubble bomb!"

Steven looked around, unsure where else they could go or what else they could do. "Okay, let's do it." He surrounded himself with the bubble. Amethyst lifted him and reeled back, tossing him upwards at an amazing speed. He crashed into the ceiling, breaking through right under and Onyx. He couldn't even see through all the wood splinters and brick dust as he did as instructed, sending his bubble out like a shockwave to blow four Onyxes away.

Below, Amethyst shapeshifted into her Purple Puma form, trying to get tall and wide enough to lift properly. She reached around the console and hoisted the whole thing in her arms. "Oof. Man. Peridot ain't making it any lighter."

"Just try and keep me steady so I can work," Peridot's voice emanated from inside.

"I'll see what I can do." She leapt through the hole after Steven, landing heavily.

Two of the Onyxes had been launched off of the building, but the other two landed in a heap near the edges. They righted themselves and charged with a snarl.

"Let's head toward Garnet and the others," said Amethyst. She turned toward the office building that they had already made a mess of. The roof was two stories above, an easy jump if she wasn't hauling the console. She took a running leap, coming far shorter than she thought she would, and crashed through the window a floor down from the roof.

"AMETHYST!" Peridot screamed from inside. "Be careful or you'll destroy the whole console, you clod!"

"Sorry for saving your butt," said Amethyst. "And sorry for destroying your kitchen," she said to no one in particular, since this floor was empty. "I didn't know offices could _have_ kitchens."

Steven landed behind her. He turned, seeing an Onyx running to jump the gap. He waited, timing it just right, and threw his shield as the Onyx leaped. He struck it square in the face, causing it to flail wildly and fall to the street several stories below. "Sweet hit, Steven," said Amethyst.

"Thanks."

"What happened?" asked Peridot.

"Steven pegged one in the face as it was jumping across."

"Ha! Nice."

"The other one doesn't look like he wants to try," said Steven. Indeed, the other Onyx turned around and scurried to the other side of the building, leaping downward toward some unseen platform below.

"We got a few minutes of peace," said Amethyst. She put down the console. Peridot kicked the hatch open from inside, letting her legs hang free as she worked.

"I got a surprising amount of work done in there," said Peridot, "but let's avoid doing that again."

"No promises."

They worked and watched in silence, listening to the sounds of chaos erupting around town. The Gems were probably done with the clusters, or had at least turned their attention to the Onyxes by now, and the Onyxes were causing panic as they wrecked the area outside. Amethyst and Steven remained close to the console with weapons ready, just waiting for something to try to leap through the hole in the wall or break through the ceiling.

After several slow minutes, there was a sudden screeching sound of bending metal all around them, then several loud pops below. "What the heck was that?" said Amethyst, crouching at the ready. There was a loud thump several floors down, then another, much closer, and another, until finally the floor burst open, an Onyx breaking through. Before Steven or Amethyst could react, the Onyx continued upward, carried through the shattered ceiling by a column of water and spat out into the sky.

The two of them looked down into the hole just as Lapis flew up through it. She landed lightly, her dress sporting a small tear at the hem, but otherwise fine. She looked relieved to see them all in one piece, but simply asked, "how is it coming along?"

"Only a few more minutes," said Peridot. She popped her head out for a moment. "Water mains?"

Lapis smiled. "Of course. I love how every building here has water running through it. Makes this a lot easier."

"Sounds like you took out most of the walls, though."

"And flooded most of the place. I feel a bit sorry for the people who own this building, but…" she shrugged.

"How are Garnet and Pearl doing?" asked Steven. "Is dad with them?"

"Last I saw Garnet, she was beating an Onyx with another Onyx. I think she's getting pretty good at fighting them. Pearl too, just not in as fun a way."

Peridot wriggled free of the console. "That should do it. I've also disabled the internal mechanisms that I used for communication with the satellites, just in case Emerald figured out how to break through their security as well. This way, she'll never know we ever turned it on. I should have enough cached geo-data to run the interpretive program without a direct connection."

"Whatever that all means," said Amethyst.

"It means we should be good to go." She popped the data unit in and powered the machine up.

The others watched in apprehensive silence as she worked. After nearly a minute without anyone speaking, she smiled and turned to her companions.

"Bingo. We have her."


	21. Assault

Pearl stabbed upwards, catching an Onyx in the throat as it sailed by. It exploded into powdery mist before it hit the ground, its gem bouncing along the sidewalk. She swept with her spear, lifting the gem with the flat of her blade, and tossed it into the air, then brought the blade down in a side-splitting strike in the same motion, catching another Onyx as it slinked around her. She lifted a finger and tapped the gem as it fell back down, bubbling it, then slid under the bubble and swung, taking the leg off a third Onyx that was harrying Garnet from the side, then spun and cut a fourth across the face, which jumped back with a yelp. Standing briskly, she tapped the bubble and sent it off to the temple.

"Just how many of these wretched things does Emerald have?" Pearl called out in aggravation. "I feel like we've eliminated a good forty or fifty since she's landed."

"She might have hundreds," said Garnet. She looked over at Pearl, who looked slightly dinged up but otherwise fine. She was getting quite skilled at handling Onyxes, but Garnet held her compliments to herself, knowing how Pearl tended to get distracted and full of herself. Instead, Garnet uppercut an Onyx and, as it reared upwards on two legs from the strike, brought her fists together on its sternum in a crushing blow.

What had once been eight Onyxes was now down to five, and most of those were wounded. Once Pearl and Garnet had gotten past the viciousness of these creatures and their love of shattering gems, it was easy to bait them into foolish attacks and punish them accordingly. While powerful, fast, and dangerous to the touch, their main strength seemed to be that very few gems survived long enough to learn the patterns. These Onyxes were some of the most simple-minded foes they had ever faced, barring the cluster mutants and other corrupted gems, and even those were up for debate. Now that they had a fair idea of how to handle these things, they were hardly in real danger anymore.

The only time their wits had to be at their sharpest was when a large group of Onyxes had one of those opportunistic ones among their number. It seemed about one in six Onyxes would refuse to attack on their own, preferring to wait until a foe was distracted, then darting in and taking advantage of that fact. The Gems didn't know if they were trained that way, or were just especially clever or cowardly, but they were the real danger among the Onyxes. The problem was that they all looked the same so it was hard to tell which ones were going to leap in unexpectedly. Fortunately, among these eight, none were that type of Onyx, meaning that a back-to-back fight made the Gems as safe as possible. Had one been, they might have risked the fight while exercising extreme caution. If there were two, they would have retreated instead, hoping to separate them.

Instead, Garnet struck another down, and Pearl another two in quick succession. They were more than ready to take the last two as well, but they were crushed by Steven's shield and Lapis's water as the two sailed down from above.

"Where's dad?" Steven asked, clearly worried.

"We put him on a bus out of town," said Garnet. "He should be well away from the carnage by now." She looked at Peridot and saw her self-satisfied smile. "Good news?"

"Great news," said Peridot. "I've located the ship."

"Are you sure it's the ship and not just a command center or some such?"

"I'm sure. Emerald was fool enough to contact me while I was scanning the console. The data streaming from the machine and the geo-data from her video feed had matching coordinates. Since her video feed was clearly captured on the bridge of a large gem vessel, we can safely assume the location I've isolated is where her ship currently sits. QED."

"We'll take your word for it." Garnet smiled. "Good job, Peridot. We owe you for this."

"Just get my barn back and get this fractured Emerald off of Earth."

"Peridot's already put the coordinates into my phone's GPS," said Steven. He showed it to Garnet, who nodded.

"It's a few thousand miles away, but there are a few warp pads close enough to be useful."

"We're certainly not going to the closest one," said Pearl. "She'll be defending that one. I wouldn't be surprised if a small army was surrounding it." She and Garnet examined the GPS. They both pointed to the same spot at the exact same time.

"Looks like we have a winner," said Steven.

"It's nearly sixty miles away from her ship," explained Pearl, "but it is in a complex of underwater caves. We know every warp pad on this planet, but chances are she doesn't know this one exists, and even should she see us moving through the warp stream and send Onyxes after us, the brutes will have no idea where they are or how to escape the maze of underwater tunnels. We should lose them easily enough. If the Onyxes are being tracked by some sort of device, the water and thick rock should be enough to completely obscure the signal. From there it will be a bit of a trek, but we should get the drop on her."

"Unless it's another trap," said Amethyst.

"Always a possibility," said Garnet, "but at least this way we are avoiding as many pitfalls as possible. We need to act quickly. For all we know, Emerald relocates her ship periodically to avoid discovery. We may have days or even hours before our opportunity is lost. How fast can we cover sixty miles?"

"Three hours, four on the outside, though taking into account the swimming and mountain climbing on the way and having Steven along, I'd put it closer to six."

Steven sighed in relief. "So you _are_ letting me come along!"

"No choice, really," said Garnet. "If we fail here, there's nothing stopping Emerald from coming after you. At least this way we have your healing powers and shield. And since she can't seem to completely control you, you can at least distract her from Amethyst. Are you okay with the pain?"

"If it keeps Emerald from controlling anyone else, then sure, whatever it takes."

"Attaboy," said Amethyst. She turned to Peridot and Lapis. "You two?"

"What am I going to do?" Peridot asked rhetorically. "If anything, I'll make that trip eight hours and not much else. Besides, I've done my fair share already."

"And I think I've fought enough," said Lapis. "You guys can take care of yourselves. I don't think I'll add anything to the party."

"Are you kidding?" asked Amethyst. "You're like a one-gem wrecking crew. You can do some serious damage."

Lapis was not flattered by the comment. If anything, she looked annoyed. "Then how about this: I'll sweep this city of Onyxes, and you guys get going now before I change my mind?"

Amethyst looked at Pearl and shrugged. "I suppose we'll accept your offer," said Pearl. "We don't have time to dawdle. The nearest warp pad is at the temple so we'd better get moving."

"Good," said Lapis. She spread her wings and took a hold of Peridot. "And good luck." With that, they flew off, leaving the Crystal Gems behind.

Amethyst sighed. "I don't think she gets how strong she is."

"She doesn't," Garnet confirmed. "We'll make do. We have for thousands of years." She gestured to her left, towards Beach City. "Let's get a move on."

* * *

"Are you sure this will work?" said Steven, looking up at Amethyst.

"Definitely, dude," she said, shifting around Garnet to look down at him. "Just float us right through the hole in the roof. They'll never see us coming."

Steven looked down from the lighthouse cliff, past the giant statue, and at the beach house below. The hole Ten had punched in the roof was still there and that was his target, but it looked so small and distant, barely a pinprick to his eyes. "And if I miss?"

"Then we'll land on the roof or beach. Good enough, right?"

"You won't miss, Steven," assured Garnet. "Just breathe and take a step off. You are more than capable."

"Okay. Everyone hold on tight." Pearl and Amethyst latched on to Garnet, and Steven held tight to Garnet's ankles as she balanced on his shoulders. He took three steps and leapt from the cliff, falling rapidly toward the house. He let himself fall for several seconds until they were more than halfway down, then willed himself to slow. Gradually, their speed decreased until they were drifting downward like a feather.

Steven was nervous about their trajectory, but Garnet was right: he didn't miss. They approached the house, passing through the hole in the roof with ease, finding a pack of four Onyxes lying in wait around the warp pad. They didn't notice the Gems until Steven released his grip and the others leapt down. They had to get past these four fast before the twelve on the beach heard the commotion and came running.

The four in the house stood and snarled, one howling loudly, either to alert those outside or simply from some base, animalistic instinct. The Gems watched a moment, then Garnet pointed to one staying back. "We got a dodger," she said.

"I'm on it," said Amethyst. Though the other three Onyxes moved to circle the Gems, Amethyst ignored them and lashed her whip toward the one hiding in back. It leapt sideways to avoid the lash, but Amethyst's second whip caught it while it was unable to dodge in midair. The whip wrapped around its belly and she yanked, causing it to jerk sideways. One of the other Onyxes turned and bit down on her whip. Amethyst pulled hard, sending the one into the other, causing them to collide with a tinkling of shards as their gem protrusions grated against and chipped one another. Pearl took the opportunity to thrust and skewer both of them before they could untangle themselves, destabilizing their bodies in one shot.

The other two leapt forward, but Garnet was more than ready for them. She reached out with both hands, catching each Onyx by the neck, and whirled them about. The other Gems dived to the sides as Garnet released the Onyxes, sending them hurtling out of the shattered front wall.

"They'll be coming back shortly."

"With friends."

"Get to the warp pad!"

They bundled together on the plinth, taking the opportunity to look at their beach house: the front wall was completely ruined from the raid; the door to the bathroom had been torn from its hinges, as had all the cabinets in the kitchen and the fridge door; the floorboards were chewed up and uneven, many sticking out at odd angles. The place had been ravaged. Once they were finished with Emerald—if they succeeded—their house would need a lot of work.

The scrambling, scurrying sounds outside the shattered wall told them the Onyxes were coming. "Bubble up, Steven," said Garnet. With one last rueful glance at their broken home, they activated the warp pad and vanished.

Passing through the warp stream was no longer a pleasant experience for Steven, knowing as he did that wherever Emerald was, she had eyes on them right now. They were at least safe in the knowledge that she couldn't touch them until they arrived at their destination, but that didn't reduce the bleakness of the thought.

"Lights," said Garnet as they approached their destination. Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet's gems flared to life, emitting beams of colored light, just as they reached the warp stream exit.

Immediately, all light save for that coming from their gems was snuffed out, accompanied by an extreme sound-dampening effect. Steven didn't doubt they were indeed deep in an underwater cavern. The gems moved away, their lights a clear beacon for Steven to follow, rolling after them along the cave floor. The cavern quickly changed into narrow passages that turned every which way, but the gems moved purposely through, knowing exactly where they were going, and soon they were far enough away from where they arrived that even should an Onyx warp through behind them, they would never see nor hear it.

They walked this way for nearly twenty minutes, nothing for Steven to see but the beams of his companions, until he realized he could just barely make out the roof of the cave ahead without aid from their lights. After another minute of rolling along, it was bright enough to make out all three of the Gems as they stopped.

Amethyst pressed her face against his bubble. "You'll have to shrink this thing down," she said. "It's gonna be tight."

Steven did so. Garnet went first, jumping down into a crevice that Steven now realized was spilling light upward. Amethyst went next. Pearl beckoned Steven forward, allowing him to go before her. He rolled his bubble into the gap in the floor and fell downward a short distance, the light growing a bit brighter as he went. He hit the ground and squeezed under an overhanging ledge, and suddenly he was out of the caves, the light of day filtering down from the surface above. He looked back at the cave entrance, completely unable to locate it until Pearl's legs came into view. There was a passage leading up through an overhanging shelf that was impossible to see without going under said shelf and looking up into it.

Pearl came up to him and pointed, then started heading that way. Steven followed close behind, finding the seafloor rose quickly. Soon, he could no longer roll forward as the ground was too steep and the sand gave way under his bubble. He decided he was close enough to the surface. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, plugged his ears and nose, and released his bubble. Water rushed in all around him, nearly knocking him from his feet, but he pushed off the seafloor and kicked upwards, the light against his eyes quickly growing brighter. In seconds, he broke the surface. He treaded water and looked around.

Steven was surprised to find that he surfaced a few hundred feet from a heavily populated beach. He was expecting to come up in the middle of nowhere, much like his mother's armory. He looked down into the water, seeing the wavering shapes of Pearl and the others walking along the ocean floor and heading toward the beach, so he swam after them.

They all came up onto the beach, attracting a significant amount of attention from the other beachgoers. Steven looked up and saw a billboard near the beach covered in squiggly writing from a language he didn't recognize. "Where are we?"

"About sixty miles from the ship," said Garnet. That wasn't what Steven meant, but he let it slide. Garnet produced a sealed plastic bag with Steven's phone inside. She looked at it, then looked around. "This way," she indicated, and they began running up the beach.

* * *

Pearl's estimate had been right. The group ran at a marathon pace for at least an hour to get through the city and surrounding suburbs on the beach, then came to an inlet that separated them from the next island. Steven swam across while the others walked along the bottom. Despite his gem strength and speed, he was a slow swimmer and he reached the far side of the inlet much later than the other Gems.

From there, the land rose sharply into a small mountain. Steven had no doubt this was at one time, or perhaps still was, a volcano. The place where they had to cross was relatively high, perhaps a third as high as the peak, but not high enough for the atmosphere to thin or the temperature to dive too dramatically. Steven was still chilled, mainly due to being wet from his recent swim, but the climbing itself warmed him up enough where it wasn't a problem. The mountain was quite steep, but he could walk up it for the most part, only resorting to using his hands for climbing on a few occasions.

Once they were over and down, the air became much drier and there was little water to be seen. Steven began consuming his water at an alarming pace, draining nearly an entire bottle before the hour was over. They had at least another hour or two to go. He reluctantly placed his last bottle in his backpack and kept pace with the others.

While there were roads and signs on this side of the mountain, they soon began to disappear, leaving the Gems nothing to walk on but grass, and soon even that gave way to sand.

"Peridot was right," said Amethyst, the first thing anyone had said in hours, "Emerald definitely planted her ship as far from water as possible. This looks like a desert."

"This is a desert," said Pearl. "Thankfully her ship should be relatively close to the edge."

The Gems climbed a high ridge of sand, revealing an even higher one ahead. They climbed that one as well and suddenly had a wide view of the area around them.

Far in the distance was a massive ship, easily several times larger than Peridot's hand-ship. It was brown and white, vaguely disk-like, and squat, resting on several spidery legs. It was also in the middle of a large, flat plain, miles of nothing in every direction, save for beyond the ship where there was a steep and sudden drop. It was impossible to approach without being seen. The Gems looked at one another. There was nothing else for it. They started moving towards the ship.

Steven took out his water again, taking a large gulp. He would definitely need to be hydrated for the fight ahead. He also had a quick bite to eat, some high-protein jerky that was supposedly good for hikers. As he chewed, he spied figured moving about the outside of the ship. They appeared to be in no hurry, but they were aligning themselves in clear defensive formations. Steven couldn't count them, but he could guess they were probably just shy of a hundred strong. He wiped his mouth and put everything away. He didn't have the nerves to eat any more.

The soldiers, still dots in the distance, organized themselves into four groups in rectangle formations, two on each side of the ship's main door. A ramp was sticking out from under the door to allow soldiers in and out, though mostly they were coming out.

"No Onyxes," said Amethyst, clearly relieved despite the overwhelming numbers. "It'll be good to be able to do some real damage again."

"And we won't have to run to bubble every gem," added Pearl.

"Don't get too relaxed," Garnet warned. She summoned her gauntlets as she moved forward and the other three followed suit, whip, spear, and shield. They approached the ship, but the soldiers remained at a distance, ready to engage whenever they were ordered.

The Gems closed the distance, soon only a few hundred feet from the ship. The door to the ship slid open. The Gems stopped and took defensive stances.

They were expecting Emerald to come out. Instead, they felt both profound relief and impending doom as Ten stomped down the ramp.

"She hasn't been shattered," said Pearl, nearly weeping she was so happy.

"That's good," said Amethyst, "but also really, really bad."

Steven took a step to put himself in front of the group. "Ten!" he shouted in exhilaration, waving both hands over his head. "You're alive!"

Ten reached over her shoulder, unstrapping Rose's blade, and grasped it with both hands. She brought it before her, blade pointed towards the Crystal Gems, ready to strike. Her eyes revealed no familiarity, her mouth no smile. Steven could only stare in mute disbelief as Ten began walking towards them, her eyes shining with hatred and murder, a hundred soldiers marching at her back.

"Ten?"


	22. Are you there?

Steven watched as the soldiers swarmed towards them. He recognized the Rubies, but the others were alien to him. Some were wielding hammers, so he guessed those were the Citrines, but others carried sickles, swords, spears, and axes. He put his shield up and hoped none of them had abilities that were too surprising to him.

If the soldiers were planning on overwhelming the four gems coming at them, they were sadly mistaken. Amethyst's whips started tripping up those in front, causing those behind to stumble. Pearl fired bolts of energy from her spear, striking those that hadn't fallen, even managing to strike one Ruby just right to poof him. The soldiers fired back with their own thrown weapons and waves of energy, but Steven stood firm with his shield, catching blast after blast, each blow causing his arm to sting with the force of it. The soldiers that ended up reaching the Crystal Gems were staggered, burnt, and disorganized, allowing Garnet to lay an indiscriminate beating on them. Pearl and Amethyst swiftly moved to help.

Once the melee was joined, Steven had trouble positioning himself in a way where he was any help at all. Once everything was all spears, swords, and fists, projectiles stopped pouring in from the ship and each Gem was doing what they could to keep themselves from getting shattered. He moved around their sides and backs, making sure no one struck them from some unseen angle, but while the others were doing well, poofing a full dozen enemy soldiers, five times that number were within a fifteen second jog and closing on them fast.

And Ten was also closing in. She moved toward them steadily, not running as her soldiers were, but sizing up the battle as she cut the distance. She was a mountain of calm in this chaotic desert. And she moved with a deadly purpose.

Steven knew where he was needed.

He rushed past the other three. "Steven!" he heard Pearl yelp behind him, but he didn't turn to reassure her. He had to keep Ten busy if they were going to have any chance of surviving. Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet were all here fighting to protect him, so he could at least do the same for them.

A handful of soldiers took swipes at him as he passed, but he put up his bubble, deflecting any attack coming his way. He bowled over a group of Rubies, and suddenly the only thing between him and Ten was empty desert air. He knew Emerald was in control, and if she was in control…

Steven pivoted to his left and instantly knew he was right. Ten immediately altered her path, turning slightly to her right and coming straight for Steven. He moved more to the side and she followed. He kept moving, drawing Ten away from the crowd of soldiers that made their way towards the other Gems, more than happy to leave the little bubbled boy to Ten. Steven hoped the Gems would be alright, but he knew this was the most useful thing he could do.

He also knew his bubble wouldn't stand up against a single blow from his mother's sword. As soon as he was far enough away from the other soldiers, he let the bubble drop and allowed Ten to approach.

Emerald was clearly trying to take advantage of the opportunity as quickly as she could, because Ten struck immediately with a vicious stab aimed directly at Steven's gem. It was an easy block for Steven, and no sooner had her sword met his shield then he brought his bubble shield back up around both himself and Ten, effectively sealing them off from the battle outside. He wouldn't have a lot of space to maneuver, but so long as he blocked with his shield, he wouldn't have to take a step back. If worse came to worst and he needed to get out of the way, he could drop the bubble and leap backwards.

Ten didn't seem to care that a bubble surrounded them, nor that Steven was clearly using himself as a distraction; she came at him with a barrage of vicious strikes, and suddenly Steven remembered with burgeoning dread how insanely fast she had been during her duel with Pearl. All at once, this seemed to him like his worst idea ever.

* * *

"She's going to kill Steven!" Pearl screeched, nearly losing her head as an axe cleaved the air next to her. "For good this time!"

"Keep your head in the game, Pearl!" shouted Amethyst, who's whip was around the axe owner's arm. She tugged again and they fell off balance before being quickly dispatched by Pearl.

"We have to do something!"

"You can't do anything if you get yourself shattered!"

Garnet chanced a look at Steven. Indeed, Steven was doing little more than curling up and cramming as much of his body behind his shield as possible, moving only to turn in shallow angles left, right, up, and down to catch attacks as they came. He was keeping on the extreme defensive, not even attempting to strike back, which was doubtless the only reason he was surviving. Due to the shield being almost as big as his crouched body and the fact that it absorbed the vast majority of the impact energy, it took minimal effort for him to block. He was buying them valuable time.

Garnet punched out, catching an Agate in the face as she moved to strike what she thought was a distracted Garnet. Garnet followed it up with another blow to the side of the head that sent the Agate reeling and falling into those behind her.

"We need more power. We need Sardonyx."

A spear came at Amethyst. She dodged to the side, wrapping her whip around the arm of the attacking gem and crushing it as if it were an empty soda can. "If you guys can find five seconds to fuse," said Amethyst, "then go right ahead, but good luck with that."

Garnet frowned. Amethyst was right. There was no way they were going to find enough time to form Sardonyx. They were holding their own for now, but in the time since Steven had run off, they had only managed to destabilize two additional gems. Each was purest luck and hard won, but it would take a miracle for them to cut through this whole group of gems and survive, much less reach Steven.

She wished they had Ten on their side.

* * *

Steven's arm was growing tired. He wanted to look at where the others were to see how they were faring, but he knew that turning his attention elsewhere for even a fraction of a second would mean instant death. If he only knew how long he had to hold out before they came to the rescue, he could psyche himself up to hold out for just that much longer. Instead, he had to defend himself for an indefinite period. He didn't have to hold for just thirty seconds or three minutes; he just had to hold.

Steven grunted with the exertion of moving his shield. He looked up into Ten's eyes, still seeing nothing of his old friend in there.

"Come on, Ten," he heard himself saying, an almost unconscious action. "I know you're still in there. You told me yourself that last time you were taken, you could see what your body was doing, you just had no control. Do you have any control at all anymore? Can you blink for me?" He watched Ten's eyes, but she stared at him with an even, uninterrupted gaze. "I guess not."

Ten continued to strike at him, and he soon went from tired to exhausted. He was pouring sweat, thanks in no small part to the intense desert heat. Ten, naturally, showed no signs of tiring. Steven struggled to think of what he could do, because it was becoming clear that holding out for help wasn't going to cut it anymore.

What could he do? He ran through the mental catalogue of his powers. He had good strength and speed, but only that of a half-gem: impressive for humans, laughable compared to Ten's. He had his shield and bubble of course, but he was already using both. He could draw a second shield, but to what advantage? He could grow or shrink his bubble, but again, to what advantage? Even if he shrunk the bubble enough so that Ten couldn't move easily, Ten could easily pierce the bubble with mom's sword if she wanted to, she just hadn't yet been given a reason.

Jumping and floating were pointless, as was his healing. What else did he have? _Think, Steven, think!_ He racked his tired brain, trying to shake it from a stupor caused by thirst and fatigue and wake it up.

His eyes went wide. That was it! Kiki and Lars, his watermelon Stevens, Lapis and Jaspar: Emerald had control of Ten's mind, but Steven could delve into the minds of people and gems…

…in his sleep.

No, wait! The Cluster! He had been completely awake when he had delved into the mind of The Cluster!

…and then fell unconscious during that ordeal. Steven's mind reeled. He knew he was on the verge of something. He had no other powers that could possibly trump Emerald's. There had to be some way he could utilize it without rendering himself completely vulnerable to Ten's attacks. He just had to think of something.

There was only one thing he could do, and that was give himself time. He would have to concentrate.

He let his bubble drop.

He had exactly one shot at this, but before he took any actions, he had to see if he could even access Ten's mind. He had dived into minds dozens of times before, albeit involuntarily. This time he had to do it through his own willpower. And he had to do it fast: his arm was no longer exhausted, but in incredible pain from the constant rain of blows. Steven forced himself to ignore that, for to acknowledge the pain was death.

He focused with all his might, letting the unconscious part of his mind watch the attacks and move the shield. He was taking a big risk, but it was his only choice. He focused harder, focusing until his brain hurt with the stress of it. _I have to get to Ten,_ his mind echoed. _I have to get to Ten. Where are you? I have to get to you. I have to get to Ten._

He focused and strained until his face turned red and his eyes felt like they were going to pop from his skull, but still he repeated in his head. _I have to get to Ten. Where are you? Where are you? Ten, where are you?_

 _Ten._

 _Where are you?_

His gem began to glow. He couldn't see it, his eyes set as they were on Ten, but he felt it to be so. It was happening. He was doing it. He didn't know how much time he had before he slipped into sleep, but he knew it wasn't long. He grasped at the last vestiges of his consciousness and reached deep into his well of powers. With the last breath he had, he whispered to himself, "Surprise bubble bomb."

His bubble formed about him and exploded outward stronger than it ever had before, every last ounce of his energy poured into it. Ten was struck by it in mid swing, propelled away by a force that would have obliterated a human being. She kept going, carried out by it as it expanded at breakneck speeds. The bubble expanded until it crashed into the army and the other Crystal gems, pushing them all through the air as it spread out a quarter of a mile, then burst with a deafening blast. Gems were scattered everywhere, tumbling through the air like ragdolls and crashing to the Earth in confusion and amazement.

Ten slammed into the ship and slipped down to the sand below. She stood slowly, knocked nearly senseless from the blow. Emerald commanded her to shake her head and clear her sight and she did so. When she could focus again, she looked over toward the boy, the Steven, and saw him lying on the ground, his bubble and his shield gone, utterly unprotected. Sensing her moment, she picked up her sword and strode toward his unconscious body.

* * *

Steven twirled through the unconscious world. Ten's gem, so close at hand, shone like a beacon to his mind. He wasted no time, racing toward it as quickly as he could, remembering without delay all he had learned of navigating this place from his time in his own gem. He felt that resistance that came with entering another gem's mental space, and soon felt the warm, comforting glow of the pink interior of the gem.

Or, uh, the writhing chamber of misery that was the inside of Ten's gem.

Pink cloud's and peace were completely missing from this place, replaced instead by chains and blades and spikes and the jarring scream of spinning metal grinding on metal. Steven did the closest thing to tripping over his own feet that being a floating mind allowed. The place was a horror show come to life and—while he would prefer to imagine that this was Emerald's doing—he knew in truth that this was just what the tortured Ten's gem was like.

He was honestly amazed she had been able to keep herself together at all, but he didn't have time to sit here and feel bad for her; he was in the middle of a mission. Steven's mind shot forward and he began looking for signs of the out-of-the-ordinary, something that screamed outside interference, something that was probably subtle and easy to miss.

What he didn't expect to see was a dozen blindingly bright emerald green tendrils arcing from all around the edges of Ten's gem toward some unseen central point, acting like a beacon and guide. Steven supposed when it came to mental powers, Emerald wasn't as subtle as in the physical world. After all, what had she to fear here?

He rushed along one of the tendrils, spinning around it and examining it. It seemed to stretch out into the nothingness between gems, vanishing in the infinite distance. He had little doubt these would lead back to Emerald's gem if he followed them far enough into the black void, but if Jaspar was able to blast him out of her mind with pure emotion, he was sure Emerald could do worse.

He continued along, the tendrils converging on a black mass ahead. His mind pivoted around the object, trying to get a good look. Just like within his own gem, here was a crystal cage that held Ten in suspension, green tethers keeping it bound in place.

Steven floated above the crystal and materialized a body so that he could interact with this place. It was much easier this time, perhaps because his body existed outside the mindscape this time. Whatever the case, he fell atop the crystal, grabbing the point at the top, landing hard, and causing it to bounce within its green confines. Much to his surprise, that tiny jostle was enough to cause several of the delicate green tendrils to snap.

Steven jumped experimentally, causing the gem to jostle again and more green lines to break off. He jumped again and it sank a bit, then bounced upwards, a score of tendrils breaking free. He began to rock it up and down, each time it sank a bit lower and more and more lines were shaken loose. Finally, with one mighty thrust of his body, the entire structure went into freefall, striking the metallic ground and shattering into shards, Ten's body spilling out and laying in a heap on the ground.

Steven pulled himself off the ground, his body in a surprising amount of pain considering it was some sort of psychic projection. He was stumbling over to Ten when another green tendril snapped from the darkness and wrapped itself around Ten's arm. Steven was shocked to see dozens more crawling their way back toward Ten's and starting to wrap themselves around various parts of her body. He ran over and started pulling them off, finding them easy enough to snap with his bare hands, but numerous enough that he couldn't keep them off Ten.

"I don't know if this will work here," he said to the unconscious Ten, "but let's see if I can bubble you." He concentrated and, much to his relief, his bubble enveloped them both. The tendrils poked and prodded the outside of his bubble, but they were unable to penetrate it, much less pop it.

Despite the apparent weakness of the tendrils, however, he could feel his bubble fading. He gave a heroic effort to sustain it, but he was just too tired. His physical body was exhausted and dehydrated. He could not keep this up on his own.

He reached down and rocked Ten gently in his arms. "Ten, I'm trying to help you out here. You have to wake up and help yourself." Ten didn't respond. "You need to form your bubble and keep yourself protected from Emerald's mind." He placed a hand on Ten's projection's gem, sparing only a moment to consider the oddity of touching a representation of the very place he was inside of, half-expecting a giant hand to crash against the black dome above. Pushing that from his mind, he reached out to Ten. "Come on, buddy. Give us that bubble."

Her gem lit up a moment, then dimmed. "No, like this," said Steven, expanding his own bubble demonstratively despite the monumental effort that took. Her gem glowed again and this time a tiny pink sphere appeared, half enveloped in her stomach.

"Yeah, come on. Like that, but bigger." He put a hand on each side of the bubble, slowly moving them outwards. The bubble expanded to match. "Good job. Bigger." He spread his arms as wide as possible, and soon her bubble was almost as large as his, pressing him against the interior of his own. He let his bubble burst, pulling hers with him so that it grew until it covered her from her feet to her head. With that done, he fell to his knees, watching as the tendrils slapped helplessly at Ten's solid bubble.

He looked down at his hands as they seemed to dissolve into sand and poor away. As fatigue overwhelmed him, his whole projection collapsed and his consciousness was swept aside by the wind of sleep.

* * *

Ten blinked and looked around. She was standing in the desert, just as she remembered, but there was a strange loginess in her head that left her foggy and dizzy. She felt Rose's sword in her hands and looked at it. She was holding it point downward, ready to plunge it into something. She glanced down and saw Steven lying unconscious at her feet.

"Steven?!" she cried in surprise. After a moment, she added "I'm free?!" She pulled her arms back, letting the sword fall to the sand as she dropped to one knee and lifted Steven. "Steven, are you okay?" She shook him gently and one eye opened slowly.

"Ten," he murmured, "you're okay."

"What happened to you? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No. Backpack," he said, pointing. She pulled it off him and opened it up, pulling out objects and showing them to him. When she showed him the water bottle, he nodded and reached out for it. She unscrewed the top and helped him drink, much as she might have nursed a wounded animal. "Thanks," he said shakily. "Leave the bottle with me and let me drink more. I'll be fine in a bit, I think."

"And what, just leave you here?"

"They need your help." He pointed behind Ten, who turned and noticed the other Crystal Gems for the first time. "I'll survive here by myself. They might not. Go help them."

A terrifying look crossed her face as she picked up Rose's sword and stood. "Gladly," she said, her voice a threatening rumble.

"Don't shatter anyone," said Steven softly.

"I know."

With that, she strode away.

* * *

A spear found Amethyst's leg, impaling it. Amethyst's leg collapsed, sending her to one knee. She let out a scream of pain and rage. Grabbing the spear shaft, she jerked it sideways, ripping it from the hands of her attacker, then shoved it back in the other direction, crushing her assailant's nose. As they backed off, clutching their face, Amethyst yanked the spear from her wounded leg and shoved the point a foot-and-a-half down their throat.

Garnet pushed Amethyst to the side, and all three of them put their backs together in a triangle formation, but it was too late. With one of their members wounded and unable to defend as effectively, blows started coming in and doing real damage. A sword cut Pearl along the stomach, Amethyst took another spear to the arm, and an axe took off a chunk of Garnet's hair and shoulder, the price she paid for preventing a more deadly attack. They had dispatched maybe twenty foes, but it looked like that was their limit.

A cry went up from the gathered soldiers. The Gems were sure it was a victory cry, the overwhelming charge now inevitable that they were wounded and surrounded. They braced themselves, swinging wildly to thwart whatever last attacks they could, their only regret being that they had failed to save Steven.

Then there was an explosion of air and dust. Sand was kicked up, blinding many of those nearby. As they struggled to regain vision, a sword cut through the whipping sands, cleaving three soldiers in one strike, destabilizing them and scattering their gems into the sand. As they exploded, yet more sand was kicked up, and soon the area was practically a sandstorm.

The soldiers around the Crystal Gems were distracted or blind. Garnet turned and shouted at Pearl. "Sardonyx! Now!"

Pearl could only nod. Though both were wounded and in pain, they reached out to one another. Garnet grasped Pearl's hand and Pearl twirled into her arms. Garnet lifted the delicate gem with her one good arm and spun in place, kicking up even more until she created a small dust devil. It reached upward, towering over the battlefield for a moment before two hands split the sand and parted the tornado like a curtain, spraying sand outward in a wave.

"Sardonyx takes the stage!" Sardonyx shouted. She whirled her Warhammer in one hand and immediately struck out with it, swiping away a handful of soldiers. "I have to say, nothing about this tickles my fancy, not in the least. Why, this sun would burn me to a crisp if I wasn't already red!" She laughed loudly, twirling and delivering a vicious blow to another group of soldiers.

With a spin and a sweep, she picked Amethyst up with a free hand. She plopped the wounded Gem down in her hair. "Amethyst, be a dear and stay put up here, won't you? You're looking a little rough around the edges, if you catch my meaning."

"You ain't looking so great either, Sardine," said Amethyst.

"You're not wrong: My tuxedo is ruined, one of my arms in nearly useless, and—excepting the Amethyst that really gives my ensemble that _je ne sais quoi_ —my hair is just a mess. I must say, it doesn't put me in a smashing mood—" she turned and slammed her hammer into the ground, poofing two soldiers and knocking a dozen more to the ground, "—so much as it puts me in a _smashing_ mood."

Amethyst groaned. "Please, no puns! I'm in enough pain already."

"Now, now, no need for the pointy edges, my little diamond in the rough. We need to put on a chipper smile while we greet out savior, do we not?"

"I vote not."

"Hush, now. There is work to be done."

While Sardonyx had made quick work of several soldiers in a handful of hammer blows, their ally below was even quicker. They didn't have to wonder who had come to their aid. "Ten, dear, cover your eyes. The show is about to get _spectacular_!" She spun her hammer overhead, creating a massive wind that blew sand in every direction, then slammed it down, creating another shockwave that blasted away the last clouds of sand and dust.

As it cleared, they saw Ten standing there with her shield raised in front of her face to block the sand. Several soldiers struggled with blindness nearby and she dispatched them savagely.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, though I supposed ours are the only eyes not sore in this bunch. Regardless, it is delightful to see you alive and well." She bowed, both gracefully and in a calculated manner to allow her hand to knock away a charging soldier as she swept it back. "You must catch us up as to what marvelous miracle Steven has performed to bring you back to your senses. I'm Sardonyx, by the way. Pleased to finally meet the guest star of the story. You're not too shabby as far as OC go."

Ten frowned up at her. "What?"

"Never you mind, that comment wasn't for you, just some self-satisfied back-patting. Anywho, I think it best if we clean up the riffraff and make sure Steven is likewise feeling himself."

"Now that I can understand," said Ten with an evil smile.

The soldiers around them were trying to get themselves organized into a proper defense, but Ten and Sardonyx had cut their numbers in half in a matter of seconds with the ambush and fusion combo and they were clearly shaken.

"I don't need future vision to tell you that a whole bunch of gems are about to make a terrible mistake. Someone is going to win quite handily, but don't worry," Sardonyx assured Ten, "I won't spoil anything."

"It's going to be us!" shouted Ten, charging at the soldiers before they could coordinate, causing several to panic and flee.

Sardonyx tsked. "I don't think she understands the concept of a 'spoiler.' Ah, well, she'll learn." She hoisted her hammer and rushed to join in the fun.

Emerald's soldiers, moments ago more than happy to press the attack on weakened and outnumbered foes, were now either fleeing in terror if trying to stand and fight a clearly lost battle. On the one hand, they had Sardonyx, her weapon's reach and size making her attacks nearly impossible to avoid and who gave them a jubilant smile before she smashed them, and on the other they had Ten, who wielded three distressing things: an unstoppable blade, an unbreakable shield, and a look in her eyes that was the stuff of nightmares.

As Ten and Sardonyx chased, their attacks thinned the number of foes. Before long, little more than a dozen gems were stampeding up the ramp to the ship, knocking each other over in their attempts to get inside. The one in the lead slapped her hand on the entry panel, looking back just as the Crystal Gems closed in. The door slid open and the soldier turned to make her escape.

She ran right into Emerald. She staggered back into the troops trying to rush in behind her. For all the terror they held for the pursuing Crystal Gems, the presence of Emerald stopped them in their tracks.

"E-Emerald!" stammered the soldier in the lead, giving her the Diamond salute.

"Retreating, are we?" said Emerald, her voice dripping malice. The gems on her hands began to glow.

"No, no, wait!" cried the gem, waving her hands in front of her. "We were just—"

Sardonyx and Ten came to a halt as a shockwave enveloped them, blasting them with sand that cut into their arms and faces. When they could see again, they looked with amazement at the ship, its ramp now snapped in two and its façade dented around the door. Of the dozen gem soldiers, nothing was left. Whether their gems had been blown away by the attack or blasted into smithereens, the Crystal Gems couldn't tell.

Emerald leapt down from the doorway and landed gracefully in the sand. "It looks like things haven't gone according to plan," she said, her condescending humor gone, replaced by seething anger. "You were supposed to stumble into my ship and die. You ate up every trap, played right into my hands every step of the way, I even let you think yourselves clever for avoiding some more obvious pitfalls, all so I could watch you get shattered by your former comrade from the comfort of my cockpit. Instead, you've brought insult to my person, I now need to dust a dozen cowards off my ship, and you've even somehow managed to break my control on my current favorite toy."

Instead of her jagged daggers, she had what looked to be thick, steel spikes affixed to her forearms. They gleamed menacingly as she pointed an angry finger at them. "You low-level pests should have been no hindrance to my soldiers whatsoever. That you have survived this long is a display of incredible luck and nothing more. Now that I'm short over a hundred soldiers, it's clear that I should have just taken care of things from the beginning. This is just what I get for trying to keep my hands clean." She slammed her fists together, causing the spikes on her arm to meet and let loose a blast of air and a deep and deafening note. "Now you've forced me to get my hands dirty and, believe me, with what I am about to do to you, it will be a very long time before they are clean again."


	23. Broken

Emerald walked toward the Gems. Whatever part of her that was the source of mocking laughter and snide remarks was buried under a mountain of rage. Despite the fact that she faced a gigantic fusion and three other gems besides, she didn't falter in her stride. She advanced like one who was confident in her victory.

"I think I liked her better when she was trying to be funny," said Sardonyx. "Frankly, right now, she is no laughing matter. Ten, is there anything we should know about our punchy friend here?"

"I have no ideas, sorry," said Ten. "I've never seen these weapons before, though I've heard of them. I would suggest not letting them hit you."

"Stellar advice," Sardonyx said dryly.

"Don't forget she still has her other weapons, her sword breakers. They can snap a sword in two easy if she catches them between the teeth on the back, plus it can stab and slice with the blade and bludgeon with the pommel. I've seen her use them a few times."

"'Use them?' On what, exactly? Sawing wood?"

"Mutinies," said Ten. "Let's just say Emerald isn't very popular among the crew of her ship. She doesn't even shatter them. Usually. She finds their attempts humorous."

"She regularly fights with her whole army?" Sardonyx's eyes went wide. "That's no joke!"

"She said before, during out last fight, that she had broken the will of other gems. That's not quite true: she's merely pressganged gems into her crew with the Diamonds' blessing, forcing them to fight and die so she can complete her own goals. She gives orders like a Diamond and the soldiers don't like it at all. They love their Diamond; they hate their Emerald."

"And what about those spiky-doos she's wielding?"

"I've heard her refer to them as the 'Planet Busters' when she needed to threaten someone back into line. Apparently, the crew has seen them in action and are terrified of them. I think I understand why, now."

"Well, you know what they say: show, don't tell."

"I've never heard that before in my life."

"Really, Ten, we need to get you caught up on things here on Earth. Excuse me a moment." Sardonyx took Amethyst off her head, placed her on the ground, and took a step in Emerald's direction.

"Hold on!" shouted Ten.

"I know, I know," said Sardonyx, continuing on and waving away her concerns, "you're going to tell me to 'be careful.' Believe me, I know. I'm also the one with the reach, so all things considered, it's best if I handle things here. Besides," she looked back at Ten, "this little lady only comes up to my waist, and you only come up to hers, so I'm afraid you would find things a bit difficult."

She twirled her war hammer theatrically as she closed the distance with Emerald. Emerald merely put up her fists. "Sorry, Emerald, dear," said Sardonyx, "I know we've had our differences in the past, but I believe its best if we hammer out our issues like adults. Here, I'll start." Sardonyx raised her hammer high overhead, bringing it down with punishing force. Emerald's fist came up to meet it and their attacks collided like a bomb going off.

It was with wide-eyed surprise that Sardonyx found herself being lifted off of her feet and thrown backwards, her weapon shredded from the attack like wet paper. She spun through the air and crashed into the sand behind Amethyst and Ten, rolling head over heels twice before shining brightly and separating into Garnet and Pearl, both of whom continued to bounce some distance before coming to a rest on the ground, groaning.

"You guys cool?" Amethyst called over, barely able to turn over from where Sardonyx had put her down.

"We are very much not 'cool,'" moaned Pearl.

"I'm pretty sure Sardonyx would have said something about a 'punchline' about now," said Garnet, staring up at the sky.

"I told you guys to hold on," said Ten. "You saw what that Planet Buster did. I don't know why you thought your war hammer would hold out."

"Our weapons have survived some incredible attacks," said Pearl. "Nothing like that, I suppose."

"You're lucky you weren't any closer to the impact or you might have been vaporized."

"Man," said Amethyst, "if we only had Sugilite or Opal, we'd have more than enough range to avoid that blast radius. Stupid Amethyst Emerald."

"Yeah, sucks for you," said Ten, then she started for Emerald.

"Oh, and you think you'll do fine alone when Sardonyx didn't stand a chance?"

Ten nodded, not looking back. "Unlike your weapons, my shield actually _is_ indestructible." She glanced as Steven, still lying in the sand some distance away. "I'll try not to break Rose's sword, though."

"Well, good luck," said Amethyst. "If you lose, we all die, so do your best."

"Amethyst," scolded Pearl, "try to be more supportive."

"What? I'm 100% team Ten. Go Ten." She threw her one good arm in the air, cocking a fist.

Emerald and Ten came to a halt twenty feet apart. "You're about to die for a group of idiots," said Emerald.

"I was going to die anyway," said Ten.

"True," said Emerald. "If you already know this, why do you bother fighting? Just lie down and die."

"Because firstly, it will anger you," said Ten, "and that thought makes me happy. Secondly, as a warrior, I have to try. Third, small though it may be, there is always a chance I can win. And last, but certainly not least," her gaze narrowed as she raised her shield and held her sword out to the side, ready to charge, "you killed my friends."

Before Ten could rush forward, Emerald took the liberty of closing the distance, aiming a rising blow at Ten's side. Ten moved her shield in the way and their weapons met. There was a titanic explosion of sound and sand and Ten was physically pushed backwards several feet but, true to her word, her shield held out. Her arm almost didn't, however, and she winced it pain. She made a mental note to brace herself better for the next attack, or it might be the last.

Emerald moved forward again, striking at Ten's head. Ten dodged to the side, bringing her sword down on Emerald's arm, but the Planet Buster took the blow without showing a mark. Ten made another mental note, then leapt back to avoid the next attack. She readied for the next blow, but instead of charging, Emerald punched the sand at her feet, sending up a wave of blinding particles into the air.

Ten's vision was completely obscured, but she was too experienced a fighter to let such a maneuver get this best of her. Most warriors would move back and try to escape the cloud, which Emerald might very well expect. Some would strafe on the side with their sword, keeping their shield angled towards their opponent, or maybe move in the other direction to throw off a particularly clever foe. Ten did the one thing no intelligent foe would possibly guess: she raced forward, pushing her shield out in front of her in a bull rush charge. She was rewarded by a thump as her shield collided with Emerald stomach, knocking her off her feet to vanish in the low-lying cloud of sand below.

As soon as Emerald was down, Ten jumped through the air, landing in a neat roll, avoiding whatever low swipes at her shins that Emerald might attempt in retribution. A cheer went up from the Gems, the clash having clearly gone in Ten's favor as she emerged unscathed from the cloud.

Despite their encouragement, Ten was annoyed she hadn't led with her sword instead. She knew she made the smart move keeping her defenses up against that Planet Buster, but hindsight made her kick herself for not ending the battle right there. She hoped it wouldn't cost her.

Emerald stood from out of the dust cloud as it dissipated, brushing sand off of herself. She tsked in annoyance. Ten moved in quickly, knowing it was probably in vain to try to catch Emerald off guard, but she had to try. As she thought, the first swing of her sword was met with a block from the Planet Buster. Emerald punched with her other hand, but it was easy enough for Ten to dodge; Emerald was certainly fast, but Ten was a bit faster. Of course, one hit and that was likely it for Ten, but she took what positives she could.

They exchanged a few attacks, Ten deciding to forego her shield unless absolutely necessary, worried about the risk to her arm. She stabbed and slashed, Emerald blocked and countered, aiming for easy blows to Ten's arm or leg, knowing any connection would be instant victory. Ten had to retreat more than she would have liked, but this was a fight that required utmost caution.

Emerald attacked low from the left, an attack made obvious by how far Emerald had to crouch to get her giant body that close to the ground. She feigned a blow to the knee that switched to a swipe at Ten's side at the last moment. Caught by surprise, Ten's only recourse was to raise her shield. The blow rang out, but at least this time the shield rested against her shoulder and the blow wasn't as shocking. Expecting Ten to be stunned, Emerald rushed forward with a quick left jab, finding instead that Ten sidestepped the attack and delivered a quick shield bash to the face. Disoriented and staggering back, Emerald raised her arm to block Ten's incoming blow, but angled her arm incorrectly, receiving a cut along her forearm for the mistake.

Incensed, Emerald lashed out with a vicious backhand, forcing Ten to jump backwards or risk taking the powerful blow which, even without the Planet Buster's point, would have hurt something fierce. Taking advantage of Ten's retreat, Emerald glowered and raised her hands. "Full tilt or nothing, it is," she said. Her gems shone, her sword breakers emerging from her hands. She flipped the one in the right hand immediately so she held it pommel out, then turned the left so the teeth faced Ten.

"Aw, she got you, Emerald!" Amethyst jeered. "First blood! You on the ropes now."

"Forced to take out even more weaponry?" Garnet called out. "What a sorry sight for a 'superior' gem."

"You suck!" Pearl shouted viciously, causing the other two to laugh at her brevity.

"Silence!" Emerald commanded. She flicked her wrist in their direction, then returned her attention to Ten. "You did this to yourself," she said.

"Did what?" asked Ten, half mocking, half concerned.

Amethyst grunted and began to stand. "Ah, geez, she's getting into my head again, guys. Joke's on you, Esmerelda, my body's too jacked up to be any use to you."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Emerald, her gems glowing and Amethyst's matching hers.

"Aw, not this again," Amethyst grumbled as her hands went to her gem. Her neck tautened, her teeth clenched, and she hissed in pain as she pulled out two weapons. Amethyst looked down and saw two Planet Busters resting on her arms. She looked up at Ten. "Uh, dude? This ain't good." She turned and started moving towards Pearl and Garnet, dragging her wounded leg behind her.

Ten scowled at Emerald, who now stood between Ten and her friends. "Really? Can't take me on fair and square, so you resort to attacking the wounded?"

"Please," said Emerald. "I didn't shatter a thousand of you traitors by being nice. You don't deserve 'fair.'"

"Any time you want to stop me would be great, Ten," Amethyst called. Garnet and Pearl rolled onto their stomachs, trying to drag themselves away, but with at least one good leg, Amethyst was slowly yet surely closing the distance.

Ten took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She knew exactly what Emerald wanted: she wanted Ten to rush in an effort to save the others, a move that would surely cause her to make some fatal error. Ten knew she was the only chance her companions had of surviving, what with Amethyst being controlled, Pearl and Garnet barely able to move, and Steven having not stirred since she left his side. He almost looked asleep, though how he could sleep with the constant explosions of sound was beyond her.

"You're not going to get what you want," said Ten.

"I just want you and that Steven to lie shattered at my feet. Frankly, I don't think I'm asking for much."

"I disagree." Ten lunged forward, attempting to skewer Emerald's leg, but Emerald punched down, succeeding in both blocking the blow with her Planet Buster and blasting the sand up at her feet again. This time, she immediately kicked out, catching a blind Ten from the side. Ten skid across the desert, tucking under her shield as she came to a rest. Emerald appeared from the cloud of sand above, coming down hard an inch from the edge of Ten's shield, barely missing a game-ending blow to an exposed leg.

A second blow was incoming. Ten kicked off of Emerald's leg, twirled on her back and pulled her leg out of the way just in time as another cloud of sand erupted from the spot where it had just been. As she spun, she lashed out with her sword, hearing a higher-pitched ring that told her she hadn't hit the Planet Buster, but instead the narrow teeth of a sword breaker. She felt a jerk and knew if she held on to the sword, it would be snapped in two by the dagger. She released the hilt, rolled backwards, and pushed herself off the ground with her hands, flipping to her feet. She considered pulling a second shield for her now-empty hand, but decided having two hands on the one shield would serve better at keeping her arms from snapping under the pressure of Emerald's attacks.

She dived blindly sideways, tucking her body in, and heard a blow strike the air where she stood, then another following after her. She rolled to her feet and leapt backwards, her arms pressed against her shield in case an attack landed. She burst backwards out of the settling sand and looked quickly around, realizing that her friends were still on the opposite side of the cloud. She cursed under her breath. She was finding no chance to get away, and now she was disarmed to boot.

As she worried over this, Emerald burst from the sandstorm. Ten jumped away as Emerald tried to slam both of her Planet Busters into Ten's shield at the same time, a move that would have proved devastating had it landed, Ten was sure. Emerald's next punch connected square with the shield, a second following shortly after, and Ten stumbled back, nearly losing her footing. Her arms ached, but she held. She cast her eyes quickly about for her sword, but it was nowhere to be seen, and soon her attention was back on Emerald.

She had to divert Emerald's path somehow, but every attempt to step sideways was thwarted as Emerald took three steps in the same direction, forcing Ten to back up the way Emerald wanted, putting her further and further from her friends and her weapon. She wondered if Amethyst had reached the others yet, but was fairly certain Emerald would be gloating about it had the others been shattered.

As Emerald moved forward for another flurry of blows, her eyes suddenly went wide and she stopped in mid step, turning back toward the cloud of sand behind. She seemed about to say something, but before she could speak, Ten had jumped past her, smashing the edge of her shield into Emerald's eye. Emerald fell back, clutching at her face and crying out, but Ten was already sprinting away. Ten didn't know what had distracted Emerald, but she knew it was something in her favor.

Emerald howled in rage and charged after Ten, shouting incoherently as she came. As Ten approached the swirling cloud of sand, her sword suddenly spun toward her across the sand as if kicked. A large shadow passed behind the sand, and without warning a fist the size of a bus snaked out of the sand and crashed between Ten and Emerald. Ten dived for her sword and snatched it up and spun to face Emerald, allowing herself a moment to examine the giant gem behind her.

She looked to be sweating in pain, her legs nearly crippled, and her arms tattered, but she also smiled broadly. "You just got outplayed, punk!" Alexandrite shouted.

Emerald shook with fury. "How is this possible?! How is that wretched little Amethyst free of my control?!"

"You can thank me," Steven's voice seemed to echo from nothingness.

Emerald spun angrily. "Where is he?! Show yourself!"

"He's all up in here," said Alexandrite, tapping her head. "He's shielding Amethyst's mind. So how does it feel to be outnumbered? Terrible, right?"

Emerald pointed at Alexandrite. "You have no idea the sort of power you are facing. You're mongrels! You're traitors! You're _nothing!"_

"Looks like someone is throwing a hissy fit." Alexandrite sighed. "I lost the Planet Busters when Steven broke your control, but I think we can make due with other options." She waved Sugilite's flail in the air while her free hands pulled a whip and a spear from her chest. She fashioned them into Opal's bow, and then stood with both weapons ready. "You could still surrender, you know."

Emerald's arm whipped through the air. "Nonsense! What I will do is shatter the lot of you, then hunt down and shatter your compatriots for daring to stand against me! Mercy is now officially off the table!" She crossed her arms, bringing her sword breakers up to her Planet Busters, sliding them against one another. The weapons fused, and Emerald was holding two weapons that looked like spiked baseball bats. The spikes were evenly spaced and bent, allowing for blade catching, obviously the remnants of the sword breakers. The air around the bats was warped, as if they were giving off an intense heat.

"Oh, no you don't," said Alexandrite. She pulled back her bow and released an arrow of light toward Emerald. With a frightening ease, Emerald struck the arrow with her club, causing it to ricochet away and explode in the distance. Unfazed, Alexandrite released another arrow. This one burst into a hundred tiny arrows, spewing outwards in waves. Emerald braced, then slammed both of her clubs together. The resulting shockwave not only blew all of the arrows away, but it was powerful enough to stagger Alexandrite from a hundred feet away and knock Ten completely over.

Emerald stood erect for a moment, trying to look unfazed from the blast, but she stumbled to one knee momentarily. She stood quickly, her lapse serving only to further anger her.

"Looks like even she can't handle that blow," said Alexandrite.

"I don't think my shield can protect me from that," said Ten, standing. "You'll be left with a perfectly useable shield covered in a fine, pink paste."

"I don't think even the reach of my flail will help," said Alexandrite, letting the flail vanish from her hand. "It's either the bow or nothing."

Alexandrite's lower mouth opened. "We could tire her out," it said.

"If we don't tire, first."

"At least we now know where five thousand gems' worth of power went."

"Silver linings, I guess."

Emerald began to run at Alexandrite. Alexandrite nocked an arrow in a flash, letting loose a half dozen in short order. Emerald easily deflected them, closing the distance so quickly that Ten barely had time to get her shield ready and follow. Alexandrite took a huge leap backwards, but Emerald kept up, pursuing with ferocity. Alexandrite landed and leapt back again. Soon she was by the ship, then nearly past it, desperately shooting arrows at an Emerald who never failed to knock them away.

"Do a spread shot!" shouted the lower mouth.

"We can't," said Alexandrite. "If she performs that shockwave at this distance, we're done for."

She stepped back again and found nothing under her foot. She stumbled back, turning to see that she had reached the cliffs behind the ship. Behind her was a drop of several thousand feet. While the fall wouldn't kill her, it would leave her exposed to Emerald. She tried shifting to the side, but Emerald was faster. Ten could see what was going to happen a moment before it did: Alexandrite, though large and powerful, was nowhere near the speed of Garnet or Sapphire. Emerald was going to leap in to deliver a blow that would be impossible for Alexandrite to stop, and impossible to survive.

Ten reacted without thought. With reflexes honed from a thousand battles, she leapt a fraction of a second before Emerald could, diving to put herself between Emerald and Alexandrite. Emerald pushed herself off the ground, rocketing upwards and forwards, too late to stop herself or change trajectory. Her clubs were heading right for Ten instead of Alexandrite. In that moment, Ten wasn't sure if what she had done was foolhardy or courageous, but either way, she raised her shield before her body with her left hand, and raised Rose Quartz's sword with her right. She would take the blow and swing at the same time. She didn't know if she would survive the attack, or if her own would connect, but if she could save just one more comrade from Emerald, that alone was worth the sacrifice.

Emerald neared, managing to look surprised, angry, and pleased all at once. She didn't seem to care who she killed first, just so long as she killed. Her clubs came up, ready to be struck together.

Ten was a moment away from initiating her own attack when there was a blur of motion from her right. From seemingly nowhere, a pink shield spun into view, striking Emerald in the arm and the head. The blow jarred her arm, causing her swing to go wide. Instead of the clubs meeting and producing another shockwave, one club went high and the other low. Ten saw her opportunity and took it, spinning her body in the air so that she slid through the gap between the two clubs, each passing uncomfortably close, but ultimately missing. Ten cleared the gap and swung wildly upward. With her weapons fused, there was no Planet Buster to save Emerald's arm this time, and Rose's sword passed clean through, severing it completely.

There was a burst of air, and Ten fell to the ground. She rolled to her feet, astonished that she was alive. She looked over at Steven, still standing in his throwing pose, looking utterly flabbergasted by his own throw. He looked at Ten and threw his arms up, whooping incoherently in exhilaration. "Did you see that?!" he managed to shout. He wobbled and sat hard on his backside, still tired.

"I saw it, alright," Ten shouted back, though not with the same unmitigated joy Steven displayed. She looked back toward where Emerald had landed. With the hand severed, the two Emeralds had been separated. Now the same size as Ten, one of the Emeralds lay wounded on the ground, while the other had been forced to retreat to her gem from the damage.

The remaining Emerald dragged herself across the sand, nearing her twin, reaching out. Ten's foot came down between the hand and the gem, kicking the latter away. Emerald's fist clenched and she looked up at Ten with naked hatred. She directed the hand bearing her gem at Ten, struggling to regain control of Ten's mind, but the shield Steven had helped raise still stood and Ten felt nothing.

"Utter nonsense," Emerald panted, her arm shaking from strain. "How are you resisting?"

Ten kicked Emerald's arm away. "You're not taking control of any more minds, Emerald," she said. "And you're not going to hurt any more of my friends. Not now—" she raised her sword high overhead, "—not ever."

She plunged downward into Emerald's chest. Emerald looked nothing so much as angry before she destabilized with a modest poof of air and her gem sank into the soft sand below.

A cheer went up from the others as Ten knelt down and picked up the two Emeralds. Alexandrite came apart, the three Crystal Gems still wounded and exhausted, but very much alive. Steven ran to them, throwing his arms around them and laughing. They were so taken in with their own celebration that they barely noticed as Ten walked by them towards the cliff edge. It was Pearl who turned her head first and saw the look on Ten's face. She pried Steven's hugging arms off of her. "Ten? What's the matter?"

Steven, Amethyst, and Garnet all looked toward Ten, all still smiles and joy for the moment. Ten turned to meet their eyes, and their smiles vanished. "Ten?"

Ten shook the hand holding the two Emeralds. "Are you going to bubble these two as well?" She demanded to know. "Just put them away in some little prison somewhere until someday, long after you're all gone, someone just comes by and releases them?"

Garnet pushed to the fore of the Gems. "That is the way we do things around here, Ten. If you're going to be a Crystal Gem, you need to understand that." She put her hand out. "Give me the Emeralds so we can bubble them. Then we can go home."

"And then what?" She looked at the other gems with wild, feral eyes.

Garnet looked dangerous. "Ten, you need to calm down. You are heading towards many unpleasant futures. Please, relax and consider what you are doing before you do something you regret."

"So you're just going to lock them away and tell me to forget about them? Forget about what they've done to us, done to me and my friends, and tell me to just keep living in a house a hundred feet from them, pretending the gems that killed One, Three, and Seven aren't alive and well?!" She spat on the ground.

"Yes, and that is what you will do. We do that every day and we live our lives just fine. We're going to lock the Emeralds away because that is our way. We do not shatter."

Ten looked down at the Emeralds in her hand and her eyes narrowed. " _You_ don't shatter. I do."

"Ten, no!"

She tossed the Emeralds in the air, summoning two shields from her gem. As the Emeralds came down, she slammed the shields together upon them and the gems broke into pieces. She pressed and ground on them them until they were reduced to glinting green pebbles, then flung the shields out over the cliff. She then picked up the Emerald dust that had fallen to the sand and threw that too, scattering the remains of the two gems into the wind, letting them spread over an unknown distance so that they could never be put back together. When she was done, she looked back at the others to see the horror written on their faces.

Steven had his hands over his mouth, his face full of terror and confusion, as if he didn't understand what sort of creature he was looking at. "Why, Ten?" he asked, his voice breaking.

Garnet put a hand out, gently guiding Steven behind her. "You saved our lives, Ten," she said, "and for that, we are grateful, but you made a promise when you joined us that you would never shatter another gem again. You made that promise, and you willfully and purposely broke it." Garnet looked at the others. Amethyst nodded solemnly. Pearl's lip quivered and her eyes welled up, but she nodded too. Lastly, she looked at Steven. He looked back and forth between Garnet and Ten, then closed his eyes and turned away, tears falling. At last, he nodded as well.

Garnet looked back towards Ten. "Ten, for the destruction of two Emeralds, the Crystal Gems hereby banish you from Earth. I'm sorry."

Ten fell to her knees, trying to keep herself from crying, and failed. "I know," she said. "I'm sorry, too."


	24. Freedom

Ten and the Crystal Gems stood in the main corridor of Emerald's ship. A handful of crew were arrayed before them, watching the group warily with their hands near their weapons. "Well, if it isn't Emerald's Rose Quartz pet," said the tall one in the front. She had a long, thin face the color of milk chocolate that looked nothing so much as weathered. "Are these new members of the crew? Looks like they've been roughed up a bit."

"No," said Ten. "These are my friends. And I'm the new captain of this ship."

The crewman all looked surprised, then one and all burst into laughter. "Sure, and I'm a Diamond. Is this another one of your little ploys to oust sedition, Emerald?"

"Emerald's not in my head."

The tall one nodded, clearly not believing her. "And where is Emerald, then?"

Ten opened her hands and swept off the bits of gem that still clung to them. "There's Emerald," she said. The Crystal Gems looked away from the tasteless display.

The crewman gems exchanged incredulous looks. One moved forward and picked up a shard. After examining it, she turned excitedly to the others. "She's not lying! This is Emerald's!"

"What?! She's been shattered?!"

"Did you get both of them?" another asked, looking awed.

"Yeah," said Ten. "They're both dust."

"I can hardly believe it," said the tall one in front. She snatched the Emerald shard from her ally and looked at it herself. After a moment, she smiled broadly and turned to a soldier behind her. "Go to the bridge and tell everybody that Emerald is dead! We're free!"

"Yes, ma'am," said the other, clearly pleased to be able to deliver the news. She turned and ran off.

"So we're not going to have any trouble?" asked Amethyst.

"Heck no," said the tall one. "We've got no problem with you lot. That was all Emerald's deal. Besides," she pointed to the pile of gems that the Crystal Gems had carried in, "I have some friends in there that you're returning to me, so I'm doubly grateful. You've saved more than your own lives."

The Crystal Gems let out a breath of relief. "Man, are we done fighting now?" asked Amethyst.

Pearl caught the apparent leader's attention and asked, "What are you going to do now?"

The tall one shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"First, I'm taking control of the ship," said Ten.

The crewmen laughed again. "And why should we make you the captain?"

"Because I just freed you all from Emerald, for starters. And who else here is going to be the captain? I'm the only one who knows anything about being part of a renegade band."

Their leader chuckled. "Whoa, whoa, slow down. Renegades? We aren't renegades. I think you're projecting, Rose Quartz."

Ten stepped forward. "You've been rounded up by an Emerald, forced to fight against your will when many of you aren't even warrior-class gems, sent to your deaths or sometimes personally executed by Emerald on a whim, all with the express permission of the Diamonds. Tell me, do you really want to go back to Homeworld knowing that your lives mean nothing to the Diamonds? There are still twenty-eight other Emeralds out there; what do you do if you meet one?"

The gem opened her mouth to respond, but hesitated. She closed it again, looking thoughtful. "I see what you mean by 'what are you going to do now.' The thought of giving another Emerald the opportunity to shanghai me doesn't strike me as pleasant. I'll talk to the crew about what they want to do, but… going renegade? That's preposterous."

"You're a Zircon," said Ten. "You're a very reasonable type of gem, that much I know. You were made by the Diamonds to be a researcher, and look at where you are now. Do you think that a Diamond who cares anything about who you are or why you were made would let something like this happen to you?"

Zircon shook her head and turned away. "Stay here," she said. "I think we have much to discuss, but after I talk to the crew."

"Let me say one last thing," said Ten. "If you let your crew decide who gets to run this ship, who do you think it's going to be: someone reasonable and fair, who has everyone's best interest and survival in mind and not just their own, or some big, violent, brutish idiot that gains the position by pummeling everyone else into submission? If I'm your captain, I'll make sure smart people are at the top, and you can be one of them."

Zircon looked at her a long moment. Finally she nodded and left the Crystal Gems there as she disappeared through a doorway.

The Crystal Gems looked at Ten. "Are you sure this is what you should be doing?" asked Pearl.

"I don't have a lot of choices now. I can't stay here and first thing Emerald did when she had control of me was find and destroy my ship. If I have to leave, it's on one of these Emerald ships, and I'll be shattered before I let some brainwashed, Diamond-loving fool fly us right back into Homeworld's clutches." She looked over at Amethyst. "Sorry again. No matter how hard I try, I guess you're right: I'm just a killer. Thanks for coming with me despite all that."

"You did save us," said Amethyst, flushing. "Not bad for a killer."

"It is the least we could do as thanks," added Garnet, "even if we don't approve of your choices and can't let you stay."

Ten nodded. "A promise is a promise, and I keep my word."

A crackle of noise played overhead, and a voice boomed through the corridors. "Everyone, listen up!" said the voice. "Emerald has been shattered! We're all free! Everyone report to the bridge immediately. We have a lot of things to discuss and a new captain to appoint. The discussion begins in five minutes. Make sure everyone comes. _Everyone_ , got it? Zircon out." There was a click, then silence. It was clear the emphasis was for Ten.

"Do you need us there with you?" Amethyst asked.

"Nah, now that I'm amidship, I think I should be fine."

"We'll wait here, then," said Pearl, "in case you need anything."

Ten nodded, then made her way deeper into the ship.

Steven sighed. Amethyst looked over. "Thoughts, little man?"

"A lot of thoughts, yeah," he said. "I don't know if what we're doing is for the best, but I don't know what else we can do. I don't want Ten to stay here if she's going to shatter gems, but I also don't want her to leave. She's still our friend. Will she be safe on her own?"

Pearl said, "Well, if she can convince the crew of this ship to follow her, she won't be on her own. I think being a renegade on a ship will give her a sort of comfort. After all, that's what she was for thousands of years."

"Maybe."

Steven sat down against a wall and waited. Amethyst shuffled over to Pearl and whispered, "Not to mention this way she'll be safe. Killer or not, if we can get her off the planet, she won't have to be around when the _real_ trouble comes."

Pearl nodded. "Add a pair of shattered Emeralds on top of everything else we've done to anger the Diamonds and there is no doubt we have only delayed the inevitable. Still, it is good knowing that at least Ten will be safe."

"Any thoughts of leaving with her?" asked Garnet. The others turned to see a gently mocking smile on her face.

"Of course not," said Amethyst. "This is home. I ain't going anywhere."

"Me neither," said Pearl. "If they want this planet, they are going to have to take it by force. We'll make them work for it."

"Spoken like true Crystal Gems," said Garnet. She looked over at Steven. "He might understand a little better if we told him these things."

"Do you really want to worry him with such heavy thoughts?"

"No, I don't. Hopefully he'll come to understand on his own."

The Gems moved towards Steven and sat around him, each placing a reassuring hand on him, and waited for Ten to return.

* * *

The Crystal Gems waited for several hours. Mostly they were too tired for conversation, content to rest instead. Steven and Amethyst slept and even Pearl drifted off at some point. Garnet jostled them awake as a door hissed open. They sat up as a huge colossus of a gem stepped through, one hand rubbing the side of her head. She looked them up and down, then motioned for them to follow without a word. The Gems followed hesitantly, but she led them past several other soldiers and crew members who were all coming from the direction they were headed. A few gave them inquisitive looks, recognizing them as outsiders, but left it at that.

They approached a large door with writing in the Gem language above it. "The bridge, huh?" said Amethyst. "You think she convinced 'em?"

The door slid open to reveal several gems in low conversation. Ten sat in a fine chair while the others stood around her, pointing out several displays and panels in front of her. Ten noticed them and waved enthusiastically, spreading her arms wide as if to say 'get a load of this.'

"Ooooh yeah," said Pearl. "She's convinced them alright."

"Huh. Good for her."

Ten waved dismissively. "Thank you, Amethyst, that will be all."

"Wha?" said Amethyst, looking confused.

"Yes, Captain," said the large hulk that escorted them, using the title begrudgingly. She turned and walked through the door, which closed behind her.

"Whoa, _that's_ what I would have looked like?" Garnet nodded. "Whew, I dodged a bullet. She is _ugly_. You see how puffy her face was?"

"Ah, yeah, that was because she challenged me for the title of Captain," explained Ten. "Some people only know how to talk through violence, so I showed her how eloquent I can be." She made a jabbing motion with her fist, smiling widely. "Fortunately, I was able to convince these guys to see reason: Homeworld isn't what it used to be, the Diamonds are callous and care only for their own power and glory, and we're better off without them." The crew around her looked uncomfortable at that remark, causing Ten to wave a hand in the air. "Mocking the sanctity of the Diamonds is still new to them. They'll get used to it."

"That's good to hear," said Garnet. "We're happy for you."

"And what a crew this is gonna be! I've got my officers here: Zircon, first officer and head of research and development; Peridot, head of engineering; Nephrite, head pilot; and Jadeite, head of navigation. We've got the whole galaxy open to us!"

"That's great and all," said Amethyst, "but what exactly are you gonna do?"

Ten laughed. "You know what? I don't care. I spent so long coming here, spent that whole time surviving in misery, and I lived, but I didn't really _live_ , you know?"

"No," answered Pearl.

"I mean that I don't want to make it about some destination. There are other gem renegades out there, others with ships and hierarchies and—some in the crew believe—even whole underground gem societies, hidden from the overbearing eyes of the Diamonds and their fractured Emeralds. Maybe we'll try to find them. Maybe we'll just go on our merry way and fly straight out of this galaxy. Who knows? I just know that I never want to be part of the Gempire again."

"It's an idea that takes some getting used to," admitted Zircon, "but your crew was able to overcome Emerald even with your small number. Perhaps if we fight smarter rather than harder, we can maintain our freedom." Zircon chewed the word over. "'Freedom.' That, too, will take some getting used to."

"I'm not sure I like it," said their Peridot, "but I will like it much more than being the slave of some self-righteous Emerald, that much is certain."

"Can you locate the other ship?" asked Pearl.

Ten looked to Jadeite. She spoke with a high-pitched and nervous voice. "The Amethyst Emerald's ship is currently parked in orbit around the planet. Since the two Emeralds were fused, it was mostly used to lug supplies and auxiliary gems. There is minimal crew, unless you count—" she quieted instantly when Ten motioned.

"We'll make sure the ship is taken care of. We might destroy it, or we might take it over, depending on whether the crew wants to split up or not. While not heavily armed, the technology on these things is top of the line. We'll be safe for a long, long time." Her officers nodded, looking somewhat excited to be on some grand adventure, but mostly just apprehensive and worried, not at all taking to the idea as well as Ten but at least willing to try.

"So I guess this is it, then," said Steven.

Ten gave him a heartfelt smile. "I'm afraid so. I think I overstayed my visit and overstepped my bounds. No use looking back at what could have been, I guess. What's done is done. We'll be out of your hair shortly."

"Ten, you can't leave yet."

"Aw, come on, don't get clingy at the last minute. You'll get me all emotional."

"No, I mean, you still have mom's sword."

Ten blinked in surprise, then laughed aloud. "You're right, I do! I almost forgot."

"Did you?" asked Steven skeptically.

"Alright, maybe I was forgetting on purpose." She pulled the blade an inch out of the scabbard and examined the visible edge. "It's a really, _really_ good blade. I'm going to miss this thing, too."

Ten stood, turned Rose Quartz's sword in her hands, and presented it to Steven hilt first. Steven accepted it with some reluctance, knowing it to be one of their final acts together. "Keep taking care of that sword, Steven. It's the finest sword I've ever held and it will keep protecting you so long as you protect it."

"Sure," said Steven, slipping into silence. He looked at the other Crystal Gems. No one looked happy with the choice they had to make, but they also didn't look like they were going to change their minds. They were resigned to this outcome.

Ten cleared her throat and turned to the Nephrite. "Is the ship good to go?"

"Any time you please, Rose Quartz."

"Back to Rose Quartz, are we?" said Garnet.

Ten gave them a sly grin. "Hey, what better way to give a captain some instant cred with the renegade crowd and really stick it to those Diamonds than being a gem with a shatter-on-sight order? Besides, I'm the only Rose Quartz around anymore. It's not like One or the others—" Ten smacked her head. "One! I totally forgot!" She reached into her armor, producing the small leather pouch containing One's shards. "I told her I'd bring her to Earth."

"You did," said Steven. "She's been here. She's seen it."

"I guess that's true," said Ten. "I kind of feel bad about leaving with her, though. She might have wanted to stay."

Garnet said, "From the sound of her, she'd prefer to stay with her friends."

Ten looked at the bag, smiling to herself. "That's probably true."

Steven was struck with an idea. "Ten, do you mind if I try something with One?"

Ten chuckled. "Sure. You're always full of surprises. Let's see what you got." She handed the pouch to him.

Steven gestured Garnet over, who cupped her hands together as he poured the contents of the bag into them. He selected one of the dozens of shards, one of the jagged ones, and sliced his hand with it, then licked the wound.

"Oh," said Ten. "With the battle going on, I didn't even think about how Pearl was still alive. I nearly forgot about your healing powers." She shook her head. "Though I already told you that I don't have all the pieces."

"That's okay," said Steven. He pressed his bloody, spit-covered hand to the shards. After a moment, they began to glow and meld together. When the process was complete, there sat a gem in Garnet's hand, nearly perfect save where three large chunks were missing from the edges. Steven picked it up and presented it to Ten. "Sorry I can't fix her completely, but—"

He fell silent when Ten's hand found his. She smiled at him, tears in her eyes. "No, it's okay. She's more beautiful than she's been in hundreds of years. Thank you." She crouched down suddenly and gave him a strong hug. "I'll miss you, Steven."

"I'll miss you too, Ten," he said as he began to cry.

Ten stood and hugged Pearl next. "Keep fighting the good fight. You'll give anyone who comes for you trouble, I just know it."

"Thank you," Pearl said, her eyes getting misty. "It was nice meeting you, Ten, and wonderful seeing another Rose Quartz. I'm sorry you never got to meet Rose. She would have loved you."

"She sounds like she would have loved anyone," laughed Ten.

"That's true," said Pearl.

Ten reached down and picked up Amethyst. "Come here, squirt," said Ten, hugging her as well.

"Hey, come on," said Amethyst. "You're embarrassing me."

"I respect you, Amethyst. You'll do what needs to be done to protect your friends, even when the odds are against you. That takes guts. Keep everyone safe, alright?"

Amethyst blushed. "Yeah, I got it. Just put me down already."

Ten laughed as she put Amethyst on the ground. She turned to Garnet. "Somehow it feels wrong to give you a hug," said Ten.

Garnet gave her a half-smile. "Not like that's going to stop you."

"Nope." She enclosed Garnet in a crushing hug. "Thank you for being patient with me, even when I probably didn't deserve it. I feel wiser for having known you. I hope you can say the same about me."

"Time will tell," said Garnet, patting Ten on the back.

Ten pulled away, walking back toward her chair. "Alright, that's enough getting all mushy. I've got a ship and a crew to take care of. I'll handle of all of Emerald's leftovers so it'll be like she was never here, then I'm off. I doubt I'll see you guys again, so good luck and keep the struggle alive."

"Always," said Garnet. She turned towards the door. "Let's get out of here and go home. It will be good to be back at the temple."

"We'll sweep that place clean of Onyxes before you get back."

"Much appreciated," said Pearl. "Goodbye, Ten."

"Yeah, peace," said Amethyst.

"Take care, Ten," said Steven. "Stay alive out there, okay?"

"That's the plan," said Ten. She waved goodbye until the door closed behind them.

* * *

The Gems checked in with Peridot and Lapis at the barn, located Greg and returned him home, then arrived at the temple just as dawn broke. Pearl took one look at the front of the beach house and sighed. "That is going to take a lot of work," she said, sounding pleased at the challenge, or maybe the chance to show off her carpentry.

"We're gonna have to restock the fridge," said Amethyst.

"And check the temple security, making sure Emerald and her Onyxes never got in. There are a hundred things we'll have to do." Lowering her voice so only the other two gems could hear, she added, "Least of which is preparing." The other two nodded solemnly.

Steven stretched and yawned. "It's been a long day," he said. "I think I'm gonna call Connie and let her know I'm alright, then I'll get some shuteye. Hopefully I wake up before the sun goes back down."

"It will be days before your circadian rhythm is back to normal," said Pearl. "Try not to stay up too much longer."

"I won't," he said. They were about to head into the house when they heard a distant thrum in the sky. They looked up to see Emerald's ship hovering far overhead, barely visible in the distance. It dipped once as if nodding, then zipped off into space, vanishing into the morning sky.

"Do you think we'll ever see her again?" asked Steven.

Garnet chuckled. She leaned down, kissed him on the forehead, and guided the Crystal Gems back inside their home.

* * *

Ten's fingers traced the edge of One's gem, now resting on the central console of the bridge. "Are all of the Onyxes destroyed?" she asked.

"Yes," said Jadeite. "Every tracking beacon on the planet that we could trace has been found and shattered."

Ten nodded. "Good riddance." She sighed, knowing how disappointed the Crystal Gems would have been in her. Especially Steven. The thought stung, but she did what she thought was best. She looked over at the large monitor at the front of the bridge that showed the other Emerald ship floating in space. "Let's pull the crew aboard and get them acclimated to my command, along with whatever supplies we find, then blow it up. I want to be gone by the end of this planet's day."

"Yes, Rose Quartz," said Zircon. "And the Onyxes on board?"

"Blow them up with it. I don't want those things on my ship."

"Yes, Rose Quartz." No one had yet complained about her orders against the Onyxes; no one else was fond of them either.

Ten picked up One's gem, stroking it idly as she walked to stand in front of the monitor. She watched for a long while until finally, with a triumphant flash, the other Emerald ship exploded into fragments. "If only you could have seen this day," she said to the gem in her hand. "You and all the others. I'd give anything for that."

The view screen turned off so that Ten was looking only at herself. Her eyes went wide as it seemed the gem in her reflection's hand shone brilliantly. She looked down at One, but the gem wasn't shining, but sitting dully. Ten had to take a deep breath. Now that she was safe from pursuit, it wouldn't do to start hallucinating. She shook her head to clear it, then turned back to the bridge.

"Nephrite!" she called out.

"Yes, Captain?" answered the gem at the flight console.

"Take us out of orbit. Set course for the nearest nebula. We'll hide out there while we take stock and decide what to do next. And get me an image of the Earth on this view screen."

"Yes, Captain."

The ship vibrated as it came to life. Ten grasped One's gem and looked one last time at the Earth, saying a silent goodbye as the engines roared to life and the ship soared out into space.

* * *

THE END

 **Author's Note:** Hey, thanks for reading, everybody. If you liked my work, make sure to check my profile. I'm a sci-fi/fantasy author and my first book will be out before the end of 2016, and maybe it will be something you'll enjoy. I don't know when the next piece of fan fiction will some out, if ever, but I enjoyed writing this one immensely. Thanks for following along!


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